Madrid, Dec 27 (IANS/EFE): Spain's arms exports fell 43.7 percent in the first half of the year compared with the same period in 2011, the Industry Ministry said in a report released Wednesday.

The Iberian nation's arms and defense sector had foreign sales of 619.4 billion euros ($818.87 billion) between Jan 1 and June 30.

The total includes sales of police and security gear, of hunting and sporting guns and of "dual-use" items that have both civilian and military applications.

The largest single transaction was the sale to Venezuela of a patrol ship capable of navigation on the high seas and components for building a coastal patrol vessel.

That deal was valued at 162.1 billion euros.

Sales to other European Union member-states accounted for 41.9 percent of the total, driven mainly by transactions with Britain, Germany and Italy, Spain's partners in joint projects such as the Eurofighter and the A-400M military transport plane.

Besides Venezuela, the Spanish defense sector's non-European customers included Ghana, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Tunisia, Brazil, Turkey and South Africa.