Port volumes
In 2025 the port handled about 127 million tons of crude oil and 62 million tons of petroleum products, according to the port's reported figures.
Corpus Christi is a Texas Gulf Coast port described as the largest US gateway for crude oil exports. Refineries and Cheniere's LNG liquefaction terminal create Class I Division 1 and Zone 1 areas at process units, LNG trains, storage and ship loading. Distribution partners for Corpus Christi, Texas are being identified ahead of the Q4 2026 launch of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Corpus Christi, Texas has no appointed SAMS distributor yet: the IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued, launch planned for Q4 2026), and distributor applications are open.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ex marking | Group, category, protection concept, gas group, temperature class | II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4 (target) |
| Gas group | IIA, IIB or IIC matched to the area drawing | IIC (target) |
| Temperature class | T-class below the ignition temperature of the gas | T4, 135 °C (target) |
| Where it applies | Corpus Christi, Texas: LNG storage and loading, Crude and product marine terminals, Refinery process units | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Corpus Christi. 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.
In 2025 the port handled about 127 million tons of crude oil and 62 million tons of petroleum products, according to the port's reported figures.
Cheniere's Corpus Christi terminal produced first LNG from its Stage 3 expansion in December 2024, designed to add about 10 million tonnes a year.
Records show a city high temperature of 109 degrees Fahrenheit in September 2000, while winters are mild with January lows a little below 50 degrees, so heat matters more than cold for equipment.
Summers are hot and humid, June to September is the hottest period, and monthly rainfall peaks in September when the tropical storm and hurricane threat is greatest.
The Port of Corpus Christi is among the largest US ports by waterborne tonnage and is described as one of the country's leading energy export locations, mostly oil, agricultural products and general cargo.
The city has one of the highest average wind speeds of any coastal city in North America, which is why it is a wind-sports destination and why outdoor work is often wind-exposed.
“Ex-proof” is shorthand for equipment carrying an explosion-protection marking (the Ex mark) that matches the area it enters. The marking states the protection concept, gas or dust group and temperature class, and it must be backed by a certificate issued by a recognised body, so a phone described as Ex-proof should come with a certificate number you can check.
The IS-04Z1 is designed to carry the marking II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4. That is a target: certification is in progress, no certificate has been issued, and SAMS will publish the certificate numbers when they exist.
In Corpus Christi, Texas. A marking check at an LNG site would concentrate on natural gas and refrigerants, normally in lower gas groups than hydrogen, while refinery units may involve a wider range. IIC marking gives margin. The IS-04Z1 target marking is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4, pending certification; the operator decides.
A distributor for Corpus Christi, Texas would carry the IS-04Z1 after certification completes; the Q4 2026 launch is the planning date and no appointment has been made. SAMS reviews applicants one by one and prefers companies with their own Ex-competent technical and service staff, since certified devices must not be repaired outside approved channels.
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.
The marking target is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4. It becomes a marking only when the certificate is issued; until then it is a design target.
Likely candidates are refinery process units, lng liquefaction trains, lng storage and loading, crude and product marine terminals. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is set by the site operator's own area classification drawings.
Apply through the distributor page with your company details and the territory you cover. SAMS reviews applications company by company and has not yet granted a territory for Corpus Christi, Texas.
LNG sites combine cryogenic storage, vaporising gas and compressor stations, so gas-hazard zones typically surround tanks, loading areas and compressor buildings. Which parts are classified is defined by the operator's drawings, and you should confirm before taking any phone into a plant.
June to September is the hottest period, with a record high of 109 degrees Fahrenheit, so check that a handset's stated operating and charging temperature range covers that, and avoid leaving devices in vehicles. Confirm the figures on the datasheet rather than assuming.
Not necessarily. LNG trains, storage and ship loading handle different substances and layouts from refinery process units, so each operator classifies its areas separately. Ask each operator which locations are classified, whether Division or Zone terms are used and what equipment evidence it accepts.
Other guides for Corpus Christi, other places in United States, and the pages behind them.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.