Aster
Aster, a joint venture led by Chandra Asri with Glencore, describes a 237,000-barrel-per-day refinery and 1.1 million tonne per year ethylene cracker at Pulau Bukom, plus petrochemical production on Jurong Island.
Pulau Bukom has hosted Singapore's refining industry since 1961, when it became the site of the nation's first oil refinery. Refining, olefins and chemical plants, tank farms and polymer handling create Zone 1 and Zone 21 areas. An explosion proof mobile phone distributor in Singapore petrochemical sector would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Singapore petrochemical sector 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Singapore petrochemical sector: Tank farms, Polymer handling and dust areas, Cracker process units | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Singapore Petrochemical. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
A short profile of the site and the kinds of classified area that matter for portable equipment.
Aster, a joint venture led by Chandra Asri with Glencore, describes a 237,000-barrel-per-day refinery and 1.1 million tonne per year ethylene cracker at Pulau Bukom, plus petrochemical production on Jurong Island.
JTC and EDB describe Jurong Island as a hub for refining, olefins production and chemical manufacturing, with over 100 global companies.
Energy and chemicals is Singapore's second-largest manufacturing sector, with more than 100 global chemicals companies, and the country is positioned as a hub for petrochemical production and trading.
Jurong Rock Caverns store crude oil, condensate, naphtha and gasoil underground, giving petrochemical plants on Jurong Island a large buffer of feedstock close by.
Aster's Bukom complex produces ethylene and refined products and is linked to its Jurong Island chemical complex by a 5 km subsea pipeline.
A world-scale renewable diesel plant using palm oil as feedstock was completed in Tuas in 2010, showing that petrochemical-type processing also exists outside Jurong Island.
“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 Singapore petrochemical sector. In a cracker or derivative plant, explosion-proof is a general phrase. Flameproof Ex d housings suit fixed equipment, while a handheld phone around process units depends on intrinsic safety. The IS-04Z1 is designed on that basis. Certification is in progress, and plant rules still decide where a phone may be used.
A distributor for Singapore petrochemical sector 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.
No. Nothing can be bought or taken into a classified area today: certification is in progress and launch is planned for Q4 2026. What is available now is the datasheet, the written certification schedule and evaluation units for safe-area use.
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.
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 cracker process units, chemical derivative plants, tank farms, polymer handling and dust areas. 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 Singapore petrochemical sector.
Plant operators set the detailed rules, within workplace safety duties enforced by MOM and flammable-material duties under SCDF. Many require pre-approval of electronic devices, so provide model, certificate and zone details before the visit.
Turnarounds bring many contractors and tight schedules, and devices should be approved well before they begin. Dates are set by each operator, so ask the site's turnaround planner for the calendar and the equipment-approval lead time.
The target marking, II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4, is a gas marking. Polymer handling and dust areas are described as Zone 21, which is a dust classification and needs a separate dust-rated marking. The device has no certificate yet. Ask the plant which areas apply.
More on Singapore Petrochemical, and on other places in Singapore.
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.