Heavy rainfall
A tropical monsoon climate brings very heavy rain, with an average of about 367 mm in September.
The Port Harcourt Refining Company at Alesa Eleme runs two refineries, a 1965 plant of 60,000 barrels per stream day and a 1989 plant of 150,000, giving 210,000 barrels per stream day combined. Crude was first exported through the port in 1958, and many operators keep offices here. Distribution partners for Port Harcourt are being identified ahead of the Q4 2026 launch of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Port Harcourt 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.
Current position: certification in progress, nothing issued, launch targeted 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Protection concept | Flameproof (Ex d) or intrinsic safety (Ex i) | Intrinsic safety, level ib |
| Zone suitability | Zone 1 gas and Zone 21 dust | Design target for Zone 1 and 21 |
| Certificate | Number, issuing body and schedule of conditions | In progress; not issued |
| Where it applies | Port Harcourt: Export and port facilities, Pipeline and pumping facilities, Refinery process units | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Port Harcourt. 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.
A tropical monsoon climate brings very heavy rain, with an average of about 367 mm in September.
The old refinery reopened in November 2024 but was shut for maintenance in May 2025; check its current operating state before planning visits.
The city's economy turned to petroleum when the first shipment of Nigerian crude oil was exported through it in 1958, which is why it remains a base for the Niger Delta oil industry.
Onne, in Eleme, hosts the Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone, a main offshore support base where supply vessels call every week and where Shell and other operators lease berths and shore facilities.
Shell-BP found oil at Oloibiri in 1956 and discovered the Afam and Bomu wells in Ogoni territory in the same period, so the region around Port Harcourt has among Nigeria's oldest producing areas.
Port Harcourt was founded in 1912 to export coal from Enugu, 243 km to the north, over the Eastern Line railway, so it was a port city long before oil.
“Explosion proof” is the phrase most buyers use for equipment that may be taken into a classified hazardous area. Strictly, it covers several protection concepts: a flameproof enclosure (Ex d) contains an internal explosion, while intrinsic safety (Ex i) limits electrical energy so that an ignition cannot start. Phones are normally intrinsically safe, because a flameproof handset would be too heavy to carry all shift.
The IS-04Z1 uses intrinsic safety, with a marking target of Ex ib IIC T4, and is designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21. It is pre-launch, certification is in progress and no certificate has been issued.
In Port Harcourt. At flow stations, gas plants and the refinery complex at Eleme, workers say explosion-proof for approved gear. Flameproof Ex d is one protection concept for fixed equipment; a portable phone used on rounds suits intrinsic safety better. The IS-04Z1 is designed on intrinsic safety for that handheld role.
SAMS is appointing authorised distributors ahead of the Q4 2026 launch. No territory has been granted for Port Harcourt yet and applications are reviewed company by company. Because a certified Ex device cannot be opened by an ordinary phone workshop without invalidating its certificate, SAMS looks for partners who can provide competent technical support and after-sales service locally.
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.
It is intrinsically safe (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), which is the usual way to make a phone for hazardous areas. It is not a flameproof (Ex d) design, and certification is still in progress.
Likely candidates are refinery process units, flow stations and gas plants, export and port facilities, pipeline and pumping facilities. 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 Port Harcourt.
It is hot, humid and wet for much of the year, so check the maximum ambient temperature on the certificate, the water ingress rating and sealing of ports and charging contacts. Corrosion from humid, salt-laden air is common, so choose devices with robust seals and clean them regularly.
International operators commonly work to IEC 60079 and ask for IECEx or ATEX certification, but each company has its own approval and registration route. Ask the procurement and HSE teams for the approved equipment list, and prepare certificates, marking photos and instructions for the submission.
The old refinery reopened in November 2024 but was shut for maintenance in May 2025, and status changes often. Check its current operating state before planning visits or quoting. Confirm the position with the site operator or Port Harcourt Refining Company.
Related guides for Port Harcourt and for Nigeria.
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.