Borouge: infrastructure
Borouge 4 includes a 1.5 million tonne ethane cracker, two Borstar polyethylene plants and a cross-linked polyethylene plant, so ethane and ethylene handling is central to the new units.
Borouge is a polyolefins producer making polyethylene and polypropylene at Ruwais, founded in 1998 through a partnership between ADNOC and Borealis. The business has two parts: Abu Dhabi Polymers Company, the production company in Abu Dhabi, and Borouge Pte Ltd, which is based in Singapore. This page explains what to look for in an explosion proof smartphone for Borouge, and where the IS-04Z1 stands against that list today.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Borouge: 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Borouge: Polyethylene and polypropylene plants, Cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) plant, Polymer powder and pellet handling | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in United Arab Emirates. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
A short profile of its operations and the kinds of classified area that matter for portable equipment.
Borouge's e-procurement page directs suppliers to register on the ADNOC Commercial Directory (not applicable in Asia Pacific, where the local Borouge office is the contact); confirm current requirements with its procurement and HSE teams. The Ex certificate and an organisation's own vendor or engineering approval are two separate timelines; SAMS is working towards both and holds neither today.
Borouge 4 includes a 1.5 million tonne ethane cracker, two Borstar polyethylene plants and a cross-linked polyethylene plant, so ethane and ethylene handling is central to the new units.
Upon expansion Borouge was expected to be the largest single-site polyolefin complex in the world, supplying feedstock to the nearby TA'ZIZ Industrial Chemicals Zone.
The Borouge 4 expansion at Ruwais, agreed in 2021 for about 6.2 billion US dollars, was designed to add 1.4 million tonnes a year of polyethylene.
In March 2025 ADNOC and OMV announced the merger of Borouge with Borealis and the acquisition of NOVA Chemicals, creating a polyolefins group ranked fourth in the world by capacity.
“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 Borouge. An ethane cracker and polyethylene and polypropylene plants show how explosion-proof covers different concepts. Flameproof Ex d protects fixed equipment, while intrinsic safety suits handheld devices. A phone relies on the second, and the target marking is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4, subject to certification.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
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.
Borouge's e-procurement page directs suppliers to register on the ADNOC Commercial Directory (not applicable in Asia Pacific, where the local Borouge office is the contact); confirm current requirements with its procurement and HSE teams.
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.
Ruwais is a coastal desert location with high heat, humidity and salt, plus dust from pellet and powder handling. Check the operating temperature range, ingress protection and corrosion resistance of the enclosure, and confirm any area-specific limits with the operator before deploying equipment.
Ruwais is a shared industrial complex with several operators, and each company controls access and equipment rules inside its own plants. Check which entity operates the unit, because induction, hot-work permits and device approvals are set by that operator and not by the neighbouring facilities.
The sheet says Borouge points suppliers to the ADNOC Commercial Directory e-procurement page for registration. Requirements may change, and corporate structure changes were noted in 2026, so confirm with Borouge's procurement and HSE teams. The IS-04Z1 has no certificate yet.
More on Borouge, and on other places in United Arab Emirates.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.