Port scale
Busan handled 24.4 million TEU in 2024 and is managed by the Busan Port Authority.
Busan is South Korea's busiest port and its second most populous city, at the mouth of the Nakdong River. Shipbuilding and ship repair are key local industries, so Zone 1 conditions arise in yards, fuel and chemical storage and cargo handling. This page explains what to look for in an ATEX and IECEx mobile phone for Busan, 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 Busan: 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. An operator's own vendor approval is a separate step. 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 | Busan: Vessel tank spaces, Ship repair yards, Fuel and chemical storage | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Busan. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
The companies on site and the hazardous-area types a handset is likely to meet there.
Busan handled 24.4 million TEU in 2024 and is managed by the Busan Port Authority.
HJ Shipbuilding & Construction, formerly Hanjin Heavy Industries, is based at Yeongdo-gu in Busan.
The foreigners' shopping street near the port and Busan Station caters to visiting ship crews, which shows the city is used to international seafarers and foreign contractors.
Busan Port Authority, set up in 2004, develops and manages the port, which handled a record 24.4 million TEU in 2024 and consists of the North Port, South Port, Gamcheon, Dadaepo and the automated New Port.
Busan has about 3.3 million residents, and its surrounding Southeastern Maritime Industrial Region, including Ulsan and South Gyeongsang, has around 8 million, making it a large industrial labour and supplier base.
Busan has a mild humid subtropical climate influenced by the East Asian monsoon, with cool dry winters, rare temperature extremes and snow on only about four days a year.
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 Busan. A reviewer in Busan would expect ATEX and IECEx evidence for a handheld used in ship repair yards, fuel and chemical storage or cargo handling, since foreign vessel owners and contractors call at a busy international port. The IS-04Z1 certification is in progress, so only a datasheet is available. Each yard or terminal decides what it accepts.
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.
No price is published. While certification is in progress there is no list price and no committed lead time, and a supplier quoting a firm figure for an uncertified Ex handset is promising something it cannot stand behind. Indicative pre-launch pricing is issued in writing against a stated 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.
Likely candidates are vessel tank spaces, ship repair yards, fuel and chemical storage, port cargo handling. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is set by the site operator's own area classification drawings.
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.
It is the country's busiest port, with frequent container services and a large forwarding and customs sector. Typical import checks include safety and radio approvals, so confirm requirements with your forwarder before shipping handheld devices.
It is relatively mild, with a humid subtropical climate, cool dry winters and a monsoon-influenced summer, so extremes are rare. Salt air near the port and summer humidity are the main concerns, so sealed connectors and regular cleaning are typical.
Busan is among the most typhoon-prone Korean cities, so rain, wind and salt air are routine. The IS-04Z1 is designed to IP68 for dust and water, which helps, but that is not explosion protection. Check battery and charging plans for storm periods with the yard.
Related guides for Busan and for South Korea.
Share the site details and quantity. You will get the datasheet and the certification schedule back by email; pricing is indicative only until launch.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.