Decarbonisation plans
EET Fuels has announced a 1.2 billion dollar decarbonisation programme, including a hydrogen-ready combined heat and power plant planned for 2027 to 2029, so project work is expected.
The port handles about 45 percent of the UK's trade with the United States, and the city's economy also includes maritime, life sciences and advanced manufacturing sectors. 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 Ex-proof 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.
Where things stand: the IS-04Z1 has not launched, and none of its four certification routes has produced a certificate yet. A buyer's engineering review is separate from the certificate. 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 | 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.
Who operates there and which kinds of classified area a handset would meet, from the SAMS site research.
EET Fuels has announced a 1.2 billion dollar decarbonisation programme, including a hydrogen-ready combined heat and power plant planned for 2027 to 2029, so project work is expected.
Crude oil arrives at Tranmere on the Mersey and travels to Stanlow by pipeline of about 24 km.
The Port of Liverpool is the UK's fourth busiest by freight tonnage, handling about 33 million tonnes in 2022, and is the largest port on the UK west coast.
The Liverpool2 container terminal, completed in 2022, increased the port's capacity and allows it to handle the world's biggest container vessels.
The Royal Seaforth and Liverpool2 terminals handle containers, liquid and dry bulk such as coal, grain and biomass, and roll-on roll-off cargo, so dust and vapour hazards arise at the quayside.
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.
“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 Liverpool and the Mersey. A marking check at Stanlow would compare the zone map for process units, jetties and pump stations with the equipment label. Hydrogen-ready plant planned for 2027 to 2029 could push future areas toward IIC. The IS-04Z1 target marking is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4, pending certification, so confirm suitability with the operator.
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.
SAMS has not published a price. Any figure you are offered for an uncertified Ex phone should be treated with caution; written indicative pricing is available for a defined quantity and site.
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 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.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.