Bapco: projects and investment
Bapco Refining manages what Bapco Energies calls the largest energy investment in Bahrain, so contractor and commissioning activity is heavy around the refinery.
Bapco · ATEX and IECEx
ATEX and IECEx Smartphone for Bapco
The Bahrain Petroleum Company was founded in 1929, discovered oil in 1932 and built Bahrain's first refinery in 1936. Today Bapco Energies is Bahrain's energy group, with operating companies for refining, upstream, gas, fuel retail, aviation fuelling and gasoline blending. If you are specifying an ATEX and IECEx smartphone for Bapco, this page covers the markings, the approvals and the current certification status of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Marking targetEx ib IIC T4Intrinsic safety, Zone 1 / 21 design target · certification in progress
AvailabilityQ4 2026via authorised distributors
Search topicATEX and IECEx
DeviceSmartphone
RouteSpecification
WhereBapco
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Bapco: 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. A buyer's engineering review is separate from the certificate. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
At a glance · ATEX and IECEx
Checklist: ATEX and IECEx smartphone for Bapco
| 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 | Bapco: Refinery process units, Fuel storage tank farms and wharf, Gas handling | Classified by the site operator |
Product · Bahrain
The product behind this search: the SAMS IS-04Z1.
SAMS IS-04Z1
An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Bahrain. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
- IP68 sealed
- 4,000 mAh battery
- 50 MP camera
- Android 16
- Zone 1 / Zone 21 design target
The organisation · Bapco
Bapco Energies (Bapco Refining is the successor of the Bahrain Petroleum Company): operations and where an Ex phone fits
A short profile of its operations and the kinds of classified area that matter for portable equipment.
Sites and areas
- Sitra refinery complex
- Bahrain Field (Awali)
- Aviation fuelling (Bapco Air Fueling)
Classified areas
- Refinery process units
- Fuel storage tank farms and wharf
- Gas handling
- Onshore oil production
Supplier approval · Bapco
Supplier registration at Bapco
Bapco Energies' website carries a Vendors & Suppliers page under its Our Responsibility section; confirm current registration steps with its procurement team. 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.
Field notes · Bapco
More about Bapco that matters for portable equipment
Bapco: who works there
Bapco Energies, formerly nogaholding, was set up in 2007 and became an independent agency when the National Oil and Gas Authority was abolished in September 2021, so it now acts as the Bahrain energy group's parent.
Bapco: projects and investment
Reports say the expansion includes a 65,000 barrel a day LC-Fining residue hydrocracking unit, new 225,000 barrel a day crude distillation units and sulphur recovery systems, with commissioning targeted for late 2025.
Bapco: infrastructure
Bahrain's LNG import terminal at Al Hidd, opened in May 2019, has a floating storage unit, jetty, regasification platform, onshore gas storage and nitrogen plant, and a capacity of about 800 million cubic feet a day.
The term · ATEX and IECEx
What “ATEX and IECEx” means for a smartphone
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 Bapco. A Bapco Energies reviewer checking a handset for the Sitra refinery or the Bahrain Field would expect a certificate of conformity, schedule of conditions and legible marking. Holding ATEX and IECEx evidence helps international contractors and EPCs who work on Bahrain's refinery modernisation. The IS-04Z1 certification is in progress and nothing has been issued.
The route · specification
Specifying an ATEX and IECEx smartphone for Bapco
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
Check on the paper
- Marking
- Equipment group, category, protection concept, gas group and temperature class, matched to the area drawing.
- Certificate and schedule
- A certificate number, issuing body and the schedule of conditions, not a brochure claim.
- Standards edition
- The IEC 60079 or national standard edition the certificate was issued against.
Check for the IS-04Z1
- Marking target
- II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4: a target, not yet a certificate.
- Certificate status
- IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 in progress; none issued.
- Operator approval
- Separate from the certificate and handled with the site operator.
Questions · Bapco
Frequently asked questions
Can Bapco buy the IS-04Z1 today?
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.
What does an ATEX and IECEx smartphone for Bapco cost?
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.
Is the IS-04Z1 ATEX and IECEx certified?
Not yet. Both routes are in progress with TÜV in Germany and no certificate has been issued. Any listing that says otherwise is wrong.
How does Bapco approve suppliers?
Bapco Energies' website carries a Vendors & Suppliers page under its Our Responsibility section; confirm current registration steps with its procurement team.
Is intrinsically safe the same as explosion proof?
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.
Does Bapco's expansion affect what handheld equipment is needed?
New process units, including residue hydrocracking, crude distillation and sulphur recovery, usually mean new classified areas with hydrogen, hydrocarbon and sulphur compounds. Gas groups and temperature classes can differ between units, so ask the project team for the area classification documents.
What is the Bapco Modernisation Programme?
A major expansion and upgrade of the Sitra refinery that raises capacity from 267,000 to 380,000 barrels a day, replaces older units and changes the tank farm, wharf and transfer pipelines. During startup, expect many contractors, new units and changing area classification drawings.
How does Bahrain's heat affect a handset on rounds?
Heat and humidity reduce battery comfort and screen visibility outdoors, and direct sun can raise surface temperature. Check the device's stated operating range and the area temperature class. IP68 helps with dust and moisture but is not explosion protection. Keep spare charging in a safe area.
Related guides
Keep exploring
More on Bapco, and on other places in Bahrain.
Explosion-Proof Mobile Phone Supplier for BapcoSame place, different guide
IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for BapcoSame place, different guide
Intrinsically Safe Mobile Phone Supplier for BapcoSame place, different guide
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone for BapcoSame place, different guide
Bahrain market guideCertification route and regulators
All guides for BahrainEvery route we cover
Certification statusWhat is in progress
Enquiry · Bapco
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for Bapco, Bahrain
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Enquiry · Bapco
Launching Q4 2026
Planning for Bapco?
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.