W.S. WALKER & COMPANY
                               ATTORNEYS-AT-LAW
                        Caledonian house, p.o. box 265
                          george town, grand cayman
                                cayman islands
                  tel: (809)949-0100     fax: (809)949-7886
                          Internet: walker@candw.ky


                                                    Our Ref: GWP/dw/T183-10663


March 29, 1996



Triton Energy Limited
Caledonian House
Mary Street
P.O. Box 1043
George Town
Grand Cayman

Dear Sirs:

We have acted as special counsel to Triton Energy Limited, a Cayman Islands
company (the "Company") in connection with the Registration Statement on Form
S-3 (No. 33-59567) filed by the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the "Act"), as it became effective under the Act, and as amended by
Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 thereto (the "Registration Statement"),
relating to 3,920,102 Ordinary Shares, par value $0.01 per share (the
"Shares"), of the Company.  This opinion is delivered in connection with
Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement.

We have examined the Articles of Association and the Memorandum of Association
of the Company and such resolutions of the Board of Directors of the Company
as we have deemed necessary.

In such examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the
legal capacity of natural persons, the authenticity of all documents submitted
to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents
submitted to us as certified or photostatic copies, and the authenticity of
the originals of such latter documents.

Based upon and subject to the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the Shares
have been duly authorised and validly issued and are fully paid and
nonassessable.

We are Attorneys-at-Law in the Cayman Islands and express no opinion as to any
laws other than the laws of the Cayman Islands in force and as interpreted at
the date hereof.

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion of counsel as Exhibit 5.1 to
Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement and the use of
our name under the caption "Legal Matters" in the Prospectus forming a part of
Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement.

                              Yours faithfully,

                              W.S. Walker and Company