Romania: industry on the ground
Romania had five refineries left by 2018 with about 13.7 million tonnes a year of capacity, far above domestic demand, and exports lubricants, bitumen, fertilisers and petrochemicals across the region.
The IS-04Z1 is an intrinsically safe Android handset designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21, built for Romanian refineries, well sites, gas plants and port terminals rather than for an office. This page explains what to look for in a hazardous area smartphone for Romania, 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 Romania: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
Status: pre-launch. IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress and no certificate has been issued; launch is planned for Q4 2026. 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 | Romania: Ploiești and Brazi, Năvodari, Constanța | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Romania. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
The classified areas, operators and sites below are the ones covered in the SAMS Romania market guide.
Romania had five refineries left by 2018 with about 13.7 million tonnes a year of capacity, far above domestic demand, and exports lubricants, bitumen, fertilisers and petrochemicals across the region.
Neptun Deep, about 160 km off the Romanian coast in 100 to 1,000 m of water, is owned 50/50 by OMV Petrom and Romgaz, is budgeted at about 4 billion euros and targets 8 billion cubic metres of gas a year.
The national gas transmission system is owned by the state company Transgaz and interconnector pipelines link Romania with Hungary, Bulgaria and Ukraine, so border compressor and metering stations are part of the network.
Petrobrazi near Ploiești, founded in 1934, runs one module with a capacity of 4.5 million tonnes a year and has a pipeline link to the Port of Constanța rated at 10,000 tonnes a day.
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 Romania. Hazardous-area classification in Romania runs from the Prahova valley refineries to the Black Sea terminals at Constanța and the inland chemical plants at Borzești and Râmnicu Vâlcea. The operator or site owner defines the zones and gas groups on its drawings. SAMS does not classify any area; it designs a device for a stated classification.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
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.
No price is published. While certification is in progress there is no list price and no committed lead time, and a supplier quoting a firm figure for an uncertified Ex handset is promising something it cannot stand behind. Indicative pre-launch pricing is issued in writing against a stated 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.
The market guide for Romania covers Ploiești and Brazi, Năvodari, Constanța, Vadu and Corbu, among others. Site-level pages are linked below.
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.
Romania is an EU member, so ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU applies to equipment and Directive 1999/92/EC to workplace zoning. Zone 1 and Zone 2 devices should carry CE and Ex markings with instructions in Romanian where required. Operators usually add their own approval and permit procedures.
OMV Petrom, owned by OMV since 2004, is the best-known upstream and downstream operator, and Transgaz owns the gas transmission system. Each company runs its own supplier registration and contractor induction, so contact their procurement and HSE teams for current requirements.
The target is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4 for gas, with Zone 21 dust protection in the same programme. Certification is still in progress, so no certificate exists. Check the final certificate and schedule of conditions against the operator's zone drawings before any use.
Related guides for Romania and for Romania.
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.