Large floating units
Fields use FPSOs; Buzios alone reached 1 million barrels of oil equivalent a day operated with six platforms.
The Santos Basin is an offshore province in the South Atlantic, roughly 300 km south-east of Santos, spanning about 352,000 square kilometres and holding major pre-salt fields such as Tupi, Buzios and Mero. Its FPSOs create Zone 1 areas on process decks and in storage and offloading areas. If you are specifying an ATEX and IECEx smartphone for Santos Basin, 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 Santos Basin: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
For the record, no certificate exists for the IS-04Z1 today. The programme is under way ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. 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 | Santos Basin: Platform process modules, Wellhead areas, Gas compression and export | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Santos Basin. 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.
Fields use FPSOs; Buzios alone reached 1 million barrels of oil equivalent a day operated with six platforms.
Pre-salt units are far offshore, so crews and equipment move by helicopter and supply vessel.
The basin is known for thick salt layers that deform into structures in the subsurface, and the pre-salt Tupi reservoir sits in microbialite carbonates of the Guaratiba Group beneath that salt.
Petrobras reported pre-salt production of 2.45 million barrels of oil equivalent a day in 2025, about 82% of its total output, which shows how much of its production now comes from pre-salt fields.
The Santos Basin spans about 352,000 km2, mostly offshore, around 300 km southeast of Santos, and borders the coasts of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Parana and Santa Catarina states.
Two new pre-salt platforms started in 2025 in the Santos Basin: the FPSO Almirante Tamandaré at the Búzios field and the FPSO Alexandre de Gusmão at the Mero field.
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 Santos Basin. Santos Basin units, run by Petrobras, Shell, Repsol and Eni, are far offshore, so reviewers want certificate evidence verified before equipment is sent. A dual ATEX and IECEx route is designed to help international FPSO contractors. The IS-04Z1 has no certificate yet.
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 platform process modules, wellhead areas, gas compression and export, offloading areas. 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.
Typically the turret and riser area, process and gas treatment decks, compression and CO2 handling areas, crude storage and offloading, and helideck fuel. Zones, gas groups and temperature classes are on the unit's classification drawings, so request them before choosing handheld devices.
The basin lies roughly 300 km southeast of Santos and the best-known discoveries are far offshore in deep water, so crew changes are mainly by helicopter and supply is by vessel. Confirm carry-on rules for powered devices with the operator.
Pre-salt units are far offshore, so crews and equipment move by helicopter and supply vessel. Spares need planning in advance. Confirm approvals, documentation and delivery routes with the operator and its contractors before relying on offshore replacement.
More on Santos Basin, and on other places in Brazil.
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.