EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT



     This Employment Agreement ("Employment Agreement"), effective September 12,

2005, is between Harvest Natural Resources, Inc. (the "Company") and Kerry R.

Brittain, a resident of Texas, ("Employee"), the terms and conditions of which

are as follows:



     WHEREAS, the Company and Employee entered into an amended and restated

employment agreement effective February 20, 2003 (the "Amended Employment

Agreement");



     WHEREAS, the Company wishes to provide Employee with certain additional

benefits and the Company and Employee wish to change the benefits described in

the Amended Employment Agreement provided to Employee in the event of a Change

of Control;



     WHEREAS, the Company and Employee acknowledge that if Employee's employment

with the Company terminates for any reason, Employee may inevitably disclose

trade secrets of, and other proprietary and confidential information about, the

Company's business, operations and prospects; and



     WHEREAS, Employee wishes to enter into this Employment Agreement to receive

the benefit of the provisions contained in it.



     NOW THEREFORE, for good and valuable consideration, the sufficiency and

receipt of which are acknowledged, the Company and Employee agree as follows:



1.   TERM OF EMPLOYMENT.



     Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Employment Agreement,

the Company agrees to employ Employee and Employee agrees to be employed by the

Company for the term which started on July 15, 2002, and ends on May 31, 2006.

On May 31, 2006, and on each anniversary thereafter (an "Extension Date") the

term of this Employment Agreement shall automatically be extended for a one-year

period unless and until either party has given written notice to the other at

least one year before any Extension Date that it or he wishes to terminate this

Employment Agreement as of such Extension Date.



2.   POSITION AND DUTIES.



     (a) Position. Subject to annual election by the Company's Board of

Directors, Employee's position shall be Senior Vice President, General Counsel

and Corporate Secretary of Harvest Natural Resources, Inc.



     (b) Duties and Responsibilities. Employee's duties and responsibilities

initially shall be those normally associated with Employee's position, plus any

additional duties and responsibilities the Company initially may assign orally

or in writing to Employee. Employee shall undertake to perform all Employee's

duties and responsibilities for the Company and its affiliates in good faith and

on a full-time basis and shall at all times act in the course of Employee's

employment under this Employment Agreement in the best interest of the Company

and the Company's affiliates.





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     (c) The Company's Right to Change Position or Duties. Subject to the terms

of this Employment Agreement, the Company shall have the right, to the extent

the Company from time to time reasonably deems necessary or appropriate, to

change Employee's position, or to expand or reduce Employee's duties and

responsibilities.



3.   COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS.



     (a) Base Salary. During the term of this Employment Agreement, Employee's

yearly base salary shall be not less than $245,000 US, which yearly base salary

shall be payable from the Company's Houston offices to Employee in accordance

with the Company's standard payroll practices and policies, and shall be subject

to such withholdings as required by U.S. Federal law and the State of Texas or

as otherwise permissible under such practices or policies. The Company shall

annually review Employee's base salary.



     (b) Annual Bonus. Employee shall be eligible for such annual bonus as may

be determined by the Human Resources Committee of the Company's Board of

Directors and the Company's Board of Directors, which bonus shall be based on

Employee's performance under the guidelines adopted by the Company, the

Company's overall performance and any special circumstances the Human Resources

Committee and the Company's Board of Directors deem appropriate. Any such bonus

is to be determined at the discretion of the Company's Human Resources Committee

and the Company's Board of Directors. Employee acknowledges that the Company is

not obligated to award him any bonus in any year.



     (c) Special Bonus. Concurrently with the execution and delivery of this

Employment Agreement by the Company, the Company is paying Employee a special

bonus of $25,000.



     (d) Employee Benefit Plans. Employee shall be eligible to participate in

the employee benefit plans, programs and policies maintained by the Company for

similarly situated employees in accordance with the terms and conditions to

participate in such plans, programs, and policies as in effect from time to

time.



     (e) Stock Options and Restricted Stock. Previously Employee has been

granted certain stock options and restricted stock pursuant to the Company's

long-term incentive plans. Except as provided in Section 4(a), this Employment

Agreement neither increases nor decreases the number of stock options and shares

of restricted stock previously granted, nor does it change the terms under which

they were granted.

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