Tengizchevroil: background
The joint venture was formed in April 1993, when the Kazakh government granted it exclusive 40-year development rights, so it is a long-established operation with mature site procedures.
Tengizchevroil is a joint venture developing the Tengiz and Korolevskoye fields in the Atyrau region of Kazakhstan. Its shareholders are Chevron (50%), ExxonMobil (25%) and KazMunayGas (20%), with a further minority holder (5%). First oil from its Future Growth Project Third-Generation Plant came in January 2025. If you are specifying an ATEX and IECEx mobile phone for Tengizchevroil, this page covers the markings, the approvals and the current certification status of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Tengizchevroil: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
For the record, no certificate exists for the IS-04Z1 today. The programme is under way ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. Operator approval runs on its own timeline. 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 | Tengizchevroil: Crude oil production plants (including the Third-Generation Plant), Wellsites and gathering facilities | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Kazakhstan. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Where it operates and the kinds of classified area a handset would meet there.
TCO's procurement favours qualified Kazakhstani contractors (over 1,250 contracts awarded to local firms on the Future Growth Project); confirm current supplier requirements with TCO. 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.
The joint venture was formed in April 1993, when the Kazakh government granted it exclusive 40-year development rights, so it is a long-established operation with mature site procedures.
Because the venture is operated for international partners, supplier access normally runs through its own approved-contractor and HSE induction process rather than a general national register; confirm current rules with its procurement team.
The company is reported to employ about 4,000 people, around 95% of them residents of Kazakhstan, which makes local-language training and instructions important for any new equipment.
Chevron describes Tengiz as the world's deepest producing supergiant oil field, with the top of the reservoir roughly 13,000 feet, or about 4,000 metres, below ground.
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 Tengizchevroil. A Tengizchevroil reviewer would expect certificate evidence before a handheld enters the production plants at Tengiz, including the Third-Generation Plant. As a joint venture with international shareholders and many contractors, a dual ATEX and IECEx route lets one product answer both families of paperwork. The IS-04Z1 is in certification and no certificate has been issued.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
No. Nothing can be bought or taken into a classified area today: certification is in progress and launch is planned for Q4 2026. What is available now is the datasheet, the written certification schedule and evaluation units for safe-area use.
There is no list price yet. SAMS gives indicative pre-launch pricing in writing, against a stated quantity and site, and does not commit to a lead time before certification completes.
Not yet. Both routes are in progress with TÜV in Germany and no certificate has been issued. Any listing that says otherwise is wrong.
TCO's procurement favours qualified Kazakhstani contractors (over 1,250 contracts awarded to local firms on the Future Growth Project); confirm current supplier requirements with TCO.
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.
Equipment approval is typically managed by the operator's own HSE and engineering groups, together with its contractor management process. There is no public list, so a supplier should ask Tengizchevroil's procurement team which certifications and area classifications are required before any site trial.
Both routes exist in large oil ventures. Direct supply normally requires registration with the company's procurement system, while many devices reach site through engineering contractors who must meet the same standards. Ask the procurement team which route applies to your product category.
Low temperatures cut battery capacity and can make screens sluggish. IP68 helps with dust and snow but is not an explosion rating. Check the datasheet operating range, test at your coldest conditions, keep spare batteries warm and charge only in safe areas. Site HSE rules will set how devices are carried.
Other guides for Tengizchevroil, other places in Kazakhstan, and the pages behind them.
Share the site details and quantity. You will get the datasheet and the certification schedule back by email; pricing is indicative only until launch.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.