Where hazardous-area demand sits
ADNOC says its downstream strategy is focused on the Ruwais refining and petrochemical complex, so buyers targeting refinery work should look there rather than at Umm Al Nar.
The island gave its name to the Umm Al Nar Bronze Age culture of about 2600 to 2000 BCE, so it is better known archaeologically than as a refinery site. ADNOC shut it in 2022 and focused its downstream refining and petrochemicals strategy on Ruwais, so current Zone 1 work is elsewhere. An explosion proof mobile phone distributor in Umm Al Nar (former ADNOC refinery) would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Umm Al Nar (former ADNOC refinery) 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. 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 | Umm Al Nar (former ADNOC refinery): Decommissioned refinery process units (former), Site clearance and demolition works, Relocated process units being reassembled elsewhere in the UAE | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Umm Al Nar Refinery. 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.
ADNOC says its downstream strategy is focused on the Ruwais refining and petrochemical complex, so buyers targeting refinery work should look there rather than at Umm Al Nar.
ADNOC states the refinery was shut down with zero flaring in 2022, and the land has since been repurposed to suit Abu Dhabi's future needs.
The first archaeological excavations in Abu Dhabi began at Umm Al Nar in 1959, twelve years before the UAE was founded.
UAE handsets need type approval from the federal Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority, and any remaining fuel or gas facility nearby will set its own device rules.
The Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi has run three seasons of fieldwork at the island since 2020, so archaeology and industrial clearance can overlap in time.
The protected archaeological site is fenced by a concrete wall of about 1,760 m, and it lies between a refinery and a sensitive military area, so works near it face heritage constraints.
“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 Umm Al Nar (former ADNOC refinery). Because the refinery at Umm Al Nar stopped operating in 2022, most live work on the island is site clearance and demolition rather than process operation. Residual hydrocarbon areas may still exist during clearance. 'Explosion-proof' in everyday speech covers both flameproof enclosures and intrinsic safety; a handheld designed for intrinsic safety avoids the heavy enclosure.
Distribution of the IS-04Z1 is by authorised partners only, and SAMS has not yet granted a territory for Umm Al Nar (former ADNOC refinery). Each application is reviewed on its merits. Because opening a certified Ex handset in an ordinary workshop invalidates its certificate, the partner must be able to support and service the device locally.
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.
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 decommissioned refinery process units (former), site clearance and demolition works, relocated process units being reassembled elsewhere in the uae. 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 Umm Al Nar (former ADNOC refinery).
The archaeological site is protected and fenced by a concrete wall of about 1,760 m, and archaeological fieldwork has continued since 2020. Works near it typically need approval and exclusion zones; confirm requirements with the site owner and the authority responsible for heritage.
Refining is concentrated at Ruwais, about 240 km west of the city, where process units, tank farms and jetties operate. For equipment buyers, Ruwais is the relevant site, while the older Umm Al Nar island is mostly a decommissioned and heritage-sensitive location.
ADNOC describes its downstream refining and petrochemicals as concentrated at Ruwais in the Al Dhafra region, and refinery units from Umm Al Nar are being reassembled at another UAE location. A buyer should ask the relevant ADNOC contractor which site the equipment will serve before specifying anything.
Other guides for Umm Al Nar Refinery, other places in United Arab Emirates, and the pages behind them.
Share the site details and quantity. You will get the datasheet and the certification schedule back by email; pricing is indicative only until launch.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.