Qatargas: projects and investment
In August 2021 Qatargas completed the WHP12N platform jacket for its North Field Production Sustainability project, the first drilling support structure built in Qatar for Qatargas, at the Qcon yard.
Qatargas was established in 1984 and now trades as QatarEnergy LNG, a QatarEnergy company that develops and produces gas from the North Field and operates LNG facilities at Ras Laffan Industrial City. Its upstream assets are in Ras Laffan and its headquarters are in Doha. This page explains what to look for in an ATEX and IECEx mobile phone for Qatargas, and where the IS-04Z1 stands against that list today.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Qatargas: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
Status: pre-launch. IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress and no certificate has been issued; launch is planned for Q4 2026. A buyer's engineering review is separate from the certificate. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Marking | II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4 on the rating plate | Design target; not yet marked |
| EU-type examination certificate | Notified body number and certificate ID | In progress with TÜV; not issued |
| IECEx certificate of conformity | Number listed on the IECEx online register | In progress; not issued |
| Where it applies | Qatargas: LNG liquefaction trains, Offshore facilities, Onshore gas processing | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Qatar. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
The main sites and the hazardous-area types a portable device is likely to meet at this organisation.
QatarEnergy LNG is part of the QatarEnergy group, whose Supply Management section describes vendor registration through the Mushtaryat Portal (SAP Vendor Code) and a Preferred Manufacturers List; confirm current requirements with its procurement and HSE teams. The Ex certificate and an organisation's own vendor or engineering approval are two separate timelines; SAMS is working towards both and holds neither today.
In August 2021 Qatargas completed the WHP12N platform jacket for its North Field Production Sustainability project, the first drilling support structure built in Qatar for Qatargas, at the Qcon yard.
Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company was established in 1993 to operate and maintain LNG and helium production, and Qatargas Operating Company was formed in July 2005 to build later projects.
Qatargas 3 and 4 started production in November 2010 and January 2011, and Trains 6 and 7 each added 7.8 million tonnes a year, so the Ras Laffan site has many large mega-trains.
Helium is produced at Ras Laffan: the first helium came in August 2005, and Ras Laffan Helium 2, inaugurated in 2013, is described as the largest plant of its kind in the world.
ATEX is the European legal framework for equipment used in explosive atmospheres (Directive 2014/34/EU). IECEx is the international certification scheme built on the IEC 60079 standards. Buyers outside Europe often ask for both: an IECEx certificate is the technical evidence most national regimes build on, while ATEX is the legal route into the European market.
For the IS-04Z1 both routes are in progress with TÜV in Germany and neither certificate has been issued. The marking target is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4: equipment Group II (surface industry), Category 2 (Zone 1 gas), protection concept ib (intrinsic safety), gas group IIC and temperature class T4.
In Qatargas. A reviewer at Qatargas, now QatarEnergy LNG, would expect certificate evidence tied to the exact model and marking for LNG trains, offshore facilities and terminal operations. International contractors working at Ras Laffan often bring ATEX or IECEx papers, so a dual route helps compare them. The IS-04Z1 programme is in progress.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
Not today. Until the certificates are issued the IS-04Z1 stays out of classified areas, and until launch there is nothing to purchase. You can ask for the datasheet and the certification schedule, or book a safe-area evaluation unit.
SAMS has not published a price. Any figure you are offered for an uncertified Ex phone should be treated with caution; written indicative pricing is available for a defined quantity and site.
Not yet. Both routes are in progress with TÜV in Germany and no certificate has been issued. Any listing that says otherwise is wrong.
QatarEnergy LNG is part of the QatarEnergy group, whose Supply Management section describes vendor registration through the Mushtaryat Portal (SAP Vendor Code) and a Preferred Manufacturers List; confirm current requirements with its procurement and HSE teams.
Not exactly. Explosion proof is a broad everyday term; intrinsic safety is one protection concept, which limits energy so ignition cannot occur. Flameproof (Ex d) is a different concept that contains an explosion. The IS-04Z1 is intrinsically safe by design.
Each venture or operating company at Ras Laffan can maintain its own induction, permit and equipment rules on top of the industrial city's general requirements. Ask the specific venture's HSE team for its procedures, because a device accepted at one train may still need approval at another.
Qatargas now trades as QatarEnergy LNG, and its ventures are run by operating companies under QatarEnergy. Supplier registration and equipment approval remain with the organisation concerned, so confirm the current registration route and contact point through its procurement and HSE teams instead of relying on older Qatargas contacts.
Only if the final certificate, gas group and temperature class suit the offshore area and the operator permits it. The IS-04Z1 is designed for intrinsically safe handheld use with IP68 protection, but has no certificate yet. Offshore connectivity and charging also need planning, so ask the operator's HSE team.
Related guides for Qatargas and for Qatar.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.