Coastal climate
The site is coastal, hot and humid, so corrosion and dust are routine concerns for portable electronics.
The first oil infrastructure on Sitra was built in 1934 by Bapco, including a draw bridge connecting the island to Bahrain Island. It hosts the Bapco Sitra refinery, whose $7 billion modernisation was inaugurated in December 2024, and the GARMCO aluminium rolling mill, so refinery and heavy-industry hazardous areas are present. A hazardous area smartphone distributor in Sitra, Bahrain would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Sitra, Bahrain 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.
Where things stand: the IS-04Z1 has not launched, and none of its four certification routes has produced a certificate yet. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Sitra, Bahrain: Hydrogen and hydrocracking units, Sulphur recovery units, Gas pipeline terminus | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Sitra. 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.
The site is coastal, hot and humid, so corrosion and dust are routine concerns for portable electronics.
The modernised refinery is ramping up towards about 405,000 barrels a day, and contractors were still completing final units into late 2025 and early 2026.
Sitra handles Bahrain's whole petroleum output and hosts the Port of Sitra.
Bapco oil storage reservoirs are in the south of the island, and Sitra is the terminus of a 42 km pipeline linking it to Dhahran in Saudi Arabia.
The Bahrain Extrusion Company has operated an aluminium extrusion plant in the Sitra industrial zone since March 1977, so metal-working sits alongside oil facilities.
Sitra is an island about 5 km south of Manama, and its northern section has been turned into an industrial area.
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 Sitra, Bahrain. Sitra mixes refinery process units, crude and product storage, hydrogen and hydrocracking units, sulphur recovery and a gas pipeline terminus, plus the GARMCO aluminium mill nearby. The refinery operator decides where classified zones begin and what portable devices may enter. SAMS does not classify any area.
A distributor for Sitra, Bahrain 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.
Not yet. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch and its certification is still in progress ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. No unit goes into a classified area before the certificate covering it exists. The datasheet, the certification schedule and safe-area evaluation units are available now.
There is no list price yet. SAMS gives indicative pre-launch pricing in writing, against a stated quantity and site, and does not commit to a lead time before certification completes.
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, crude and product storage, hydrogen and hydrocracking units, sulphur recovery units. 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 Sitra, Bahrain.
Aluminium extrusion and metal-working can produce metal dust in some processes, so some areas may have dust classification; the refinery is mostly gas and vapour. Ask the operator for its dust zone survey.
A bridge built in the 1930s links the island to Bahrain Island, and Manama is about 5 km away. Contractors normally go through each operator's gate with induction and permits.
Usually only if the operator's permit-to-work and equipment rules allow it, and for classified areas only if the device carries a suitable Ex marking. Refinery contractors generally follow the operator's registration systems. Confirm current requirements with the site operator before mobilising any fleet.
Other guides for Sitra, other places in Bahrain, 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.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.