New capacity
Golden Pass at Sabine Pass, Texas, reported its first export cargo on 22 April 2026, and Cheniere reports substantial completion of its Corpus Christi Stage 3 project.
Cheniere became the first US company to gain permission to export LNG, and its first exports came in 2016, after a long period in which terminals were designed for imports. Zone 1 and Zone 21 areas arise at liquefaction trains, storage tanks, loading arms and gas compression. If you are specifying an Ex-proof smartphone for US LNG export terminals, 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 US LNG export terminals: 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. Operator approval runs on its own timeline. 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 | US LNG export terminals: Liquefaction trains, LNG storage tanks, Ship loading berths | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in US LNG Terminals. 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.
Golden Pass at Sabine Pass, Texas, reported its first export cargo on 22 April 2026, and Cheniere reports substantial completion of its Corpus Christi Stage 3 project.
The United States shipped 11.9 Bcf a day of LNG in 2024, with Louisiana's four terminals handling three-fifths. Cheniere reports 16 trains in operation across Sabine Pass and Corpus Christi.
LNG developments sign long-term sales contracts, typically for 20 to 25 years, before investors commit, so sites operate for decades and equipment standards stay stable.
Cheniere's Corpus Christi site has net liquefaction capacity of 18 million tonnes a year and was reported running near its peak feed-gas rate, with expansion filed for four more trains.
In 2024 the United States had seven large LNG liquefaction export terminals with a combined capacity of about 88 million tonnes a year.
LNG is held at about minus 162 degrees Celsius and is not itself flammable; it must first vaporise and mix with air in a range of roughly 5 to 15 percent before it can burn.
“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 US LNG export terminals. A marking check at a liquefaction train or ship loading berth would compare zone, gas group and temperature class with the terminal's drawings. The IS-04Z1 target is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4, aimed at Zone 1 gas. The terminal operator, not SAMS, determines which gas group applies to methane-rich areas.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
Not today. Until the certificates are issued the IS-04Z1 stays out of classified areas, and until launch there is nothing to purchase. You can ask for the datasheet and the certification schedule, or book a safe-area evaluation unit.
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 liquefaction trains, lng storage tanks, ship loading berths, gas compression and pipelines. 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.
Export terminals run continuously, with ships loading regularly and trains shut down only for planned maintenance. Teams visiting for service or inspection need to coordinate with operations and book access well ahead.
Several US LNG sites named in federal filings, including Sabine Pass, Cameron and Corpus Christi, are on the Gulf Coast, where storm season makes shutdown and evacuation planning normal. Keep spares and agree storm-season support arrangements with the operator.
Not automatically. Each terminal has its own classification drawings and approval process, so a marking accepted at one may need separate review at another. The IS-04Z1 target is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4, and certification is in progress. Ask each operator what documents it expects.
More on US LNG Terminals, and on other places in United States.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.