Terminal
The oil terminal has North and South Piers and a Sea Islands section.
Ras Tanura is a peninsula governorate in the Eastern Province hosting Aramco's Ras Tanura Refinery, with a crude distillation capacity of 550,000 barrels a day, and one of the world's largest crude export terminals. Refining, terminal and gas plant areas create Zone 1 conditions. If you are specifying an ATEX and IECEx mobile phone for Ras Tanura, 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 Ras Tanura: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
Current position: certification in progress, nothing issued, launch targeted 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 | Ras Tanura: Refinery process units, Crude export terminal piers and sea islands, Storage tank farms | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Ras Tanura. 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.
The oil terminal has North and South Piers and a Sea Islands section.
The governorate also has the Ju'aymah gas plant and the Ghazlan power plant serving Eastern Province industry.
Saudi Arabia's Communications, Space and Technology Commission handles radio type approval; certificates are renewed every two years, with European test documents accepted.
The refinery was established in 1939 and expanded substantially after the Second World War, so equipment and layouts range from very old to recently modernised.
The area was officially called Rahima from 1941 until 1986, when the historical name was restored, so older Aramco documents and maps may use the earlier name.
The marine complex is described as handling over 2,000 tankers a year, using an artificial island, north and south piers and the Ju'aymah crude terminal.
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 Ras Tanura. Ras Tanura reviewers from Aramco would expect certificate evidence that suits the refinery, terminal and fractionation areas. A dual ATEX and IECEx route helps international contractors and marine specialists who work across terminals in several countries. The IS-04Z1 has no certificate yet; certification is in progress.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
Not yet. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch and its certification is still in progress ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. No unit goes into a classified area before the certificate covering it exists. The datasheet, the certification schedule and safe-area evaluation units are available now.
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 refinery process units, crude export terminal piers and sea islands, storage tank farms, natural gas liquids fractionation (ju'aymah). 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.
Saudi Aramco manages and operates the industrial infrastructure, so its safety and approval procedures apply to contractors working on the refinery, terminal and gas plant. Check the current vendor and equipment-approval requirements with the Aramco project owner or the main contractor.
Both. The refinery dates from 1939 and has been expanded many times, so older plant sits alongside modern units. For handheld devices, ask for the area classification and equipment group for each unit, since gas groups and temperature classes can differ between old and new areas.
Only if its protection suits the classified area there, and if the operator permits it. The piers and sea islands handle crude, where Aramco classifies the area. Ask Aramco or the site contractor for the zone and the device approval route before any handset goes near a loading point.
Other guides for Ras Tanura, other places in Saudi Arabia, 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.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.