Tranmere supply
Crude oil arrives at Tranmere on the Mersey and travels to Stanlow by pipeline of about 24 km.
Liverpool sits on the Mersey estuary. The Stanlow refinery at Ellesmere Port, on the Manchester Ship Canal, receives crude through the Tranmere Oil Terminal on the Mersey, so Zone 1 areas are found at the refinery, jetties and pipelines around the estuary rather than in the city. If you are specifying an ATEX and IECEx smartphone for Liverpool and the Mersey, 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 Liverpool and the Mersey: 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. 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 | Liverpool and the Mersey: Refinery process units at Stanlow, Marine oil terminal jetties, Product pipelines and pump stations | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Liverpool. 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.
Crude oil arrives at Tranmere on the Mersey and travels to Stanlow by pipeline of about 24 km.
Stanlow has been owned by Essar since 2011, was renamed EET Fuels in January 2024, and is reported at about 296,000 barrels a day.
The city has a temperate maritime climate with mild summers, cool winters and rainfall spread fairly evenly through the year, with a record low of minus 17.6 degrees Celsius in December 2010.
Liverpool lies on the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary near the Irish Sea, 286 km north-west of London, with 507,915 residents in 2025 and a City Region population over 1.5 million.
In 2023 the UK government designated Liverpool a Freeport to encourage international commerce, which affects customs handling and site development around the port.
Liverpool hosts UK offices of shipping lines including Atlantic Container Line, Bibby Line, Hapag-Lloyd, Irish Ferries and Maersk, so marine buyers and technical managers are close together.
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 Liverpool and the Mersey. A reviewer around the Mersey would look for certificate evidence matching the Stanlow refinery operator's DSEAR assessment, since the classified areas lie at Ellesmere Port rather than in the city. EET Fuels' project work, including a planned hydrogen-ready plant, may draw international contractors, which is why a dual ATEX and IECEx route is being pursued. Neither is issued.
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 at stanlow, marine oil terminal jetties, product pipelines and pump stations, tank farms. 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 can change customs processes for goods moved within the Freeport area, but product-safety and radio rules still apply. Confirm treatment of electronic devices with your customs agent and the Freeport operator before shipping.
Yes. The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations apply across Great Britain, with HSE as regulator. Port operators and tenants must classify areas and control ignition sources, so ask for the site's hazardous-area register before using electronics.
Mainly at the Stanlow refinery in Ellesmere Port on the Manchester Ship Canal and at the Tranmere Oil Terminal on the Mersey, which supplies crude to Stanlow by a pipeline of about 24 km. The city itself is not the classified site. Check zone details with the operator.
More on Liverpool, and on other places in United Kingdom.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.