Maritime climate
The Bay of Fundy coast is damp and foggy, so ingress protection and corrosion resistance are useful.
An Irving Oil statement from the Canaport LNG agreements described the refinery as predominantly an export refinery that supplies about half of Canada's petroleum product exports. Crude arrives by supertanker at the Canaport deep-water terminal, and process units and storage contain classified areas. An explosion proof smartphone distributor in Saint John, New Brunswick would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Saint John, New Brunswick 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 | Saint John, New Brunswick: Refinery process units, Crude and product storage, Marine terminal | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Saint John Refinery. 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.
The Bay of Fundy coast is damp and foggy, so ingress protection and corrosion resistance are useful.
More than 80 per cent of production is reported as exported to the United States.
Irving Oil moves much of its product by tanker to regional terminals at ports in Atlantic Canada, Quebec and New England, an area it treats as under-served by pipelines.
The Irving Oil Refinery in Saint John was built from 1960 with a California partner and expanded to Canada's largest refinery, processing over 300,000 barrels per day.
The Port of Saint John is Canada's third-largest by tonnage, with a cargo base that includes dry and liquid bulk and break bulk, giving the refinery and terminals deep-water supply routes.
Canaport is a deep-water crude oil receiving terminal with one single-point mooring for supertankers, plus a jetty for LNG tankers, so tanker movements are part of the local operating picture.
“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 Saint John, New Brunswick. At a large refinery, explosion-proof normally means flameproof Ex d equipment on fixed plant. A phone uses intrinsic safety. Process units, crude and product storage and the marine terminal are different hazard settings, and Irving Oil would define which protection concept is acceptable in each.
SAMS is appointing authorised distributors ahead of the Q4 2026 launch. No territory has been granted for Saint John, New Brunswick 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 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 refinery process units, crude and product storage, marine terminal. 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 Saint John, New Brunswick.
Process units, tank farms, loading and marine terminal areas commonly have Zone 1 or 2 gas areas. The refinery's classification drawings define gas group and temperature class, so request them before specifying handheld devices.
Canaport is a crude oil receiving terminal with a single-point mooring and an LNG terminal near Saint John. Marine and tank areas bring flammable vapour risks, so confirm the terminal's classification and device rules with the operator.
Irving Oil, as operator, decides which equipment is permitted in each area, normally through its HSE or electrical authority. Ship and tanker crews may have their own requirements too. Ask the refinery for its zone data and approval process, and do not assume a manufacturer certificate alone will be enough.
Related guides for Saint John Refinery and for Canada.
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.