Ownership
ADNOC owns Upper Zakum, with ExxonMobil holding 28 per cent and JODCO 12 per cent.
Replacement of a 125 km oil pipeline from Umm Lulu to Zirku Island has been awarded as an offshore project, so subsea and island pipeline work is under way. Upper Zakum, discovered in 1963 and on stream since 1977, is operated as part of ADNOC Offshore (formerly ZADCO), with offshore output handled at island facilities such as Das Island and Zirku Island. A hazardous area smartphone distributor in UAE offshore fields would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. UAE offshore fields 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. 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 | UAE offshore fields: Platform and subsea pipelines, Marine loading terminals, Offshore production platforms and islands | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in UAE Offshore. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Who operates there and which kinds of classified area a handset would meet, from the SAMS site research.
ADNOC owns Upper Zakum, with ExxonMobil holding 28 per cent and JODCO 12 per cent.
Das Island lies about 160 km north-west of the UAE mainland and is staffed by about 6,000 oil and gas personnel on a rotational schedule, so access is by operator-controlled sea and air transport.
ADNOC plans facilities to sustain production through 2030 on five islands: Zirku, Asseifiya, Umm Al Anbar, Al Ghallan and Ettouk.
Upper and Lower Zakum together hold around 50 billion barrels of oil in place and form the second largest offshore oilfield in the world.
Abu Dhabi's first offshore drilling platform was established at Umm Shaif in 1958, and the first crude export left Das Island in 1962.
ADNOC Drilling has been contracted to supply island rigs for wells on existing and new artificial islands at Zakum, with delivery expected from 2026.
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 UAE offshore fields. UAE offshore classified areas include production platforms and islands, island processing and terminals, subsea and platform pipelines, and marine loading terminals. The operator, such as ADNOC Offshore, classifies its own areas, not SAMS. This is a generic grouping, not a single site.
A distributor for UAE offshore fields 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.
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.
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 offshore production platforms and islands, island processing and terminals, platform and subsea pipelines, marine loading terminals. 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 UAE offshore fields.
Upper Zakum is about 84 km north-west of the Abu Dhabi islands, and operations are based on islands such as Zirku and Das. Access is by boat or helicopter under the operator's control, so plan transit time and baggage limits for equipment.
Often the same standards apply, but offshore and island sites usually add stricter controls on ignition sources, wireless devices and marine transport. Approval is decided by the operator, so ask for its current equipment, certification and wireless policy before shipping devices.
Offshore crews rotate and sites are reached by sea and air under operator control. A phone would normally be enrolled in the employer's or operator's EMM or MDM. The IS-04Z1 is designed for EMM/MDM. Ask the operator how devices are issued, charged and handed over.
More on UAE Offshore, 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.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.