Delta terrain
Many facilities are in low-lying creek and swamp areas reached by road or boat.
Port Harcourt is the main city of Rivers State and Nigeria's chief oil-refining city, with the Port Harcourt Refining Company complex at Eleme and seaports at Onne and the city wharf. The oil sector contributed about 9% of Nigeria's GDP as of February 2021, and the petroleum industry has supported the national budget since 1960. This page explains what to look for in a hazardous area mobile phone for Port Harcourt, 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 Port Harcourt: 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Zone | 0, 1 or 2 for gas; 20, 21 or 22 for dust | Designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 |
| Gas group | IIA, IIB or IIC | IIC (target) |
| Area drawing | The operator's own classification drawing | Decided by the site operator |
| Where it applies | Port Harcourt: Refinery process units, Flow stations and gas plants, Export and port facilities | 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.
A short profile of the site and the kinds of classified area that matter for portable equipment.
Many facilities are in low-lying creek and swamp areas reached by road or boat.
A tropical monsoon climate brings very heavy rain, with an average of about 367 mm in September.
Nigeria is the largest oil and gas producer in Africa, and Niger Delta crude is paraffinic and low in sulphur, with lighter grades around API 36 and heavier ones at 20-25.
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.
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.
A hazardous area is a place where flammable gas, vapour or combustible dust may be present. Standards divide these into zones: Zones 0, 1 and 2 for gas and vapour, and Zones 20, 21 and 22 for dust. Zone 1 and Zone 21 are the tier where an explosive atmosphere is likely to occur in normal operation, which is where the IS-04Z1 is designed to work. Anything carried in must be marked for the zone, gas group and temperature class of the area.
No certificate has been issued for the IS-04Z1 yet, so it must not be taken into a classified area until the certificate covering it exists and the site operator has accepted it.
In Port Harcourt. Classified areas around Port Harcourt include refinery process units, flow stations and gas plants, export and port facilities, and pipeline and pumping facilities. The operator classifies these, not SAMS. As the refinery status changes often, a specifier should check what is actually operating before planning a site visit.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
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.
Zone 1 and Zone 21 (gas and dust) with gas group IIC and temperature class T4, subject to certification. It must not be used in a classified area before its certificate is issued and the site has accepted it.
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.
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.
Equipment commonly arrives through the Lagos ports or airport and then moves by road or air, or through the Port Harcourt area port facilities, depending on the shipment. Allow time for clearance and security arrangements, and agree site access and device registration with the operator beforehand.
It is a base for the Niger Delta oil industry: the first shipment of Nigerian crude left through the port in 1958 and operators such as Shell, Chevron and Agip have offices there. Wellsites, flow stations and terminals are around the city, so confirm each site's rules.
Many facilities are in low-lying creek and swamp areas reached by road or boat. Plan transport with the operator or contractor, protect devices from rain and spray, and keep spare units charged in a safe area. Confirm access rules with the site operator.
Other guides for Port Harcourt, other places in Nigeria, and the pages behind them.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.