GULF Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) exceeded its export target for the first half of this year, a period which was also marked by a substantial sales order from the South American state of Uruguay.

The firm said the US accounted for the largest share of the company’s exports of ammonia, urea and methanol at 31 per cent, followed by China with 19 per cent and Thailand 16 per cent.

For the first time in its history, GPIC achieved a sale of 19,660 tonnes of fertilisers to Uruguay, in April.

“The company has again achieved the goals laid down for the first half of the year in the areas of production and export and safety, environmental and administrative systems,” GPIC president Abdulrahman Jawahery said.

“The period was marked by challenges facing the company, which revised many of its administrative tactics to cope with developments taking place in the industrial sector.

“While awaiting approval for expansion, the company completed the largest comprehensive maintenance of plant equipment in its history,” he added.

Jawahery also noted the outstanding achievements of the company in occupational safety, the most prominent being 4,317 working days with no lost time accident, equivalent to more than 15.5 million man hours.