Refineries
Yanbu hosts three oil refineries; SAMREF was commissioned in 1984 and, like YASREF, is listed at about 400,000 barrels a day.
Yanbu Industrial City on the Red Sea coast was established by royal decree in 1975 and is managed by the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu. Its refineries, petrochemical plants and export terminals create Zone 1 and Zone 21 areas for operators and contractors. This page explains what to look for in an ATEX and IECEx mobile phone for Yanbu Industrial City, 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 Yanbu Industrial City: 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 | Yanbu Industrial City: Refinery process units, Petrochemical plants, Crude and product storage and loading | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Yanbu. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Who operates there and which kinds of classified area a handset would meet, from the SAMS site research.
Yanbu hosts three oil refineries; SAMREF was commissioned in 1984 and, like YASREF, is listed at about 400,000 barrels a day.
Three major oil pipelines from the east end at Yanbu, which has two ports: Yanbu Commercial Port and King Fahd Industrial Port.
Saudi Arabia's Communications, Space and Technology Commission handles radio type approval; certificates are renewed every two years and European test documents are accepted.
The harbour is about 20 km south of Yanbu and is sheltered from the open sea by an offshore barrier reef running parallel to the coast.
The port handles about 1,800 vessels and over 84 million tonnes of cargo a year, including crude oil, so marine and jetty work is continuous.
Its terminals include general cargo and container, bulk, export refinery and chemical, crude oil, NGL and LPG terminals, so hazardous cargo handling is spread along the coast.
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 Yanbu Industrial City. Yanbu's refineries include joint ventures such as SAMREF and YASREF with international partners, so reviewers often expect both ATEX and IECEx evidence. A dual route helps contractors who work across partner plants. 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.
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.
Likely candidates are refinery process units, petrochemical plants, crude and product storage and loading, marine terminals. 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.
The East-West crude pipeline of about 1,200 km can deliver up to 7 million barrels a day to Yanbu from the Eastern Province. Road and air links also exist, but heavy equipment normally arrives through the port; confirm routing and permits with the client.
Mostly the industrial city in the south, with its refineries and petrochemical plants, and the port about 20 km south of Yanbu town. Yanbu Al-Bahr in the north is the main residential and commercial area, so offices and hotels are separate from the plants.
Yes. With a hot desert climate, a July record of 51 C and a Red Sea coast, sealed equipment is favoured. IP68 helps against dust and splash, but heat and salt exposure should be checked against the datasheet. Ingress protection does not replace the Ex marking needed for classified areas.
Related guides for Yanbu and for Saudi Arabia.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.