FORM 6-K


                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D. C. 20549



                        Report of Foreign Private Issuer
                      Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16 of
                       the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

                            For the month of May 2005


                     NORDIC AMERICAN TANKER SHIPPING LIMITED
                 (Translation of registrant's name into English)

                                  Canons Court
                               22 Victoria Street
                                 Hamilton HM 12
                                     Bermuda
                    (Address of principal executive offices)

         Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual
reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F.

                          Form 20-F   X     Form 40-F
                                    -----             -----

         Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the
information contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to
the commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934.

                                Yes         No   X
                                    -----      -----



INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS FORM 6-K REPORT

     Attached  hereto  as  Exhibit 1 is a copy of the  press  release  issued by
Nordic  American  Tanker  Shipping  Limited  (the  "Company")  on May  13,  2005
announcing the Mr. Herbjorn Hansson,  the Company's  Chairman and CEO, purchased
10,000 common shares of the Company on the open market.



Exhibit 1

Nordic American Tanker Shipping Ltd. (NAT) - (NYSE: NAT) NAT Chairman & CEO buys
NAT shares

Hamilton, Bermuda, May 13, 2005 --

Nordic American  Tanker  Shipping Ltd. (the "Company")  today announced that the
Chairman & CEO Mr. Herbjorn  Hansson has bought 10,000 shares in NAT at a market
price of $40.03 Mr.  Hansson  owns  thereafter  a total of 25,000  shares of the
Company.

Scandic American Shipping Ltd.  ("Scandic"),  the Manager of the Company,  has a
total of 332,890  restricted shares of NAT. Mr. Hansson is the majority owner of
Scandic.

            CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Matters   discussed  in  this  press  release  may  constitute   forward-looking
statements.  The Private Securities  Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe
harbor  protections  for  forward-looking   statements  in  order  to  encourage
companies   to   provide   prospective   information   about   their   business.
Forward-looking  statements  include  statements  concerning plans,  objectives,
goals, strategies,  future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and
other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts.

The  Company  desires to take  advantage  of the safe harbor  provisions  of the
Private  Securities  Litigation  Reform  Act  of  1995  and  is  including  this
cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation.  The words
"believe,"  "anticipate,"  "intend," "estimate,"  "forecast," "project," "plan,"
"potential,"   "will,"  "may,"   "should,"   "expect,"   "pending"  and  similar
expressions identify forward-looking statements.

The  forward-looking  statements  in this press  release are based upon  various
assumptions,  many of which  are  based,  in  turn,  upon  further  assumptions,
including  without  limitation,   our  management's  examination  of  historical
operating  trends,  data  contained in our records and other data available from
third parties.  Although we believe that these  assumptions were reasonable when
made,   because  these   assumptions  are  inherently   subject  to  significant
uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and
are beyond our control,  we cannot assure you that we will achieve or accomplish
these expectations, beliefs or projections. We undertake no obligation to update
any forward-looking  statement,  whether as a result of new information,  future
events or otherwise.

Important  factors  that,  in our view,  could  cause  actual  results to differ
materially from those discussed in the  forward-looking  statements  include the
strength of world economies and currencies, general market conditions, including
fluctuations in charter rates and vessel values, changes in demand in the tanker
market,  as a result of changes in OPEC's petroleum  production levels and world
wide oil consumption and storage,  changes in our operating expenses,  including
bunker  prices,  drydocking  and  insurance  costs,  the market for our vessels,
availability of financing and  refinancing,  changes in  governmental  rules and
regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from
pending or future  litigation,  general  domestic  and  international  political
conditions,  potential  disruption  of  shipping  routes  due  to  accidents  or
political  events,  vessels  breakdowns  and  instances of  off-hires  and other
important  factors  described  from  time to time in the  reports  filed  by the
Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission,  including reports filed by
the Company with the  Securities and Exchange  Commission,  including our Annual
Report on Form 20-F.

Contacts:
                     Scandic American Shipping Ltd
                     Manager for
                     Nordic American Tanker Shipping Ltd.
                     P.O Box 56
                     3201 Sandefjord
                     Norway
                     Tel: + 47 33 42 73 00   E-mail: info@scandicamerican.com


                     Web-site:  www.nat.bm
                     Rolf Amundsen
                     Chief Financial Officer
                     Nordic American Tanker Shipping Ltd.
                     Tel: +1 800 601 9079 or + 47 908 26 906
                     Herbjorn Hansson
                     Chairman & CEO
                     Nordic American Tanker Shipping Ltd.
                     Tel:  +1 866 805 9504 or + 47 901 46 291




SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the  requirements  of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

                     NORDIC AMERICAN TANKER SHIPPING LIMITED
                                  (registrant)

Dated: May 27, 2005                             By: /s/ Herbjorn Hansson
                                                    ----------------------------
                                                    Herbjorn Hansson
                                                    President and
                                                    Chief Executive Officer

01318.0002 #572016