KNPC: background
Mina Al-Ahmadi dates from 1949 and Mina Abdullah was built in 1958, so equipment and layouts range from original plant to recent upgrades.
KNPC · IECEx
IECEx Mobile Phone for KNPC
Ultra-low-sulphur diesel production began at Mina Al-Ahmadi in 2014, so desulphurisation capacity is part of the refinery process mix. In mid-2026 KPC marked the merger of KIPIC into KNPC, so the Al-Zour refinery (615,000 barrels a day) now sits alongside Mina Al-Ahmadi and Mina Abdullah, for combined capacity of 1.415 million barrels a day. If you are specifying an IECEx mobile phone for KNPC, this page covers the markings, the approvals and the current certification status of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Marking targetEx ib IIC T4Intrinsic safety, Zone 1 / 21 design target · certification in progress
AvailabilityQ4 2026via authorised distributors
Search topicIECEx
DeviceMobile Phone
RouteSpecification
WhereKNPC
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for KNPC: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
Current position: certification in progress, nothing issued, launch targeted for Q4 2026. A buyer's engineering review is separate from the certificate. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
At a glance · IECEx
Checklist: IECEx mobile phone for KNPC
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of conformity | Number checkable on the IECEx online register | In progress; not issued |
| Standards edition | The IEC 60079 edition the certificate cites | Stated on the certificate when issued |
| Schedule of conditions | Limits of use, batteries and accessories | Published with the certificate |
| Where it applies | KNPC: Refinery process units, Gas processing trains, Fuel storage and export piers | Classified by the site operator |
Product · Kuwait
The product behind this search: the SAMS IS-04Z1.
SAMS IS-04Z1
An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Kuwait. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
- IP68 sealed
- 4,000 mAh battery
- 50 MP camera
- Android 16
- Zone 1 / Zone 21 design target
The organisation · KNPC
Kuwait National Petroleum Company: operations and where an Ex phone fits
A short profile of its operations and the kinds of classified area that matter for portable equipment.
Sites and areas
- Mina Al-Ahmadi
- Mina Abdullah
- Al-Zour
- Shuaiba oil berth
Classified areas
- Refinery process units
- Gas processing trains
- Fuel storage and export piers
Supplier approval · KNPC
Becoming an approved supplier to KNPC
Supplier registration and equipment approval are run by the organisation itself; 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.
Field notes · KNPC
More about KNPC that matters for portable equipment
KNPC: geography and layout
Mina Al-Ahmadi covers about 10.5 million square metres, 40 km south of Kuwait City, and Mina Abdullah about 7.8 million square metres, 46 km south, so both are very large sites.
KNPC: people and language
KNPC sponsors a refinery-operations specialisation at the College of Technological Studies of the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, creating a local technician pool.
KNPC: rules and approvals
Kuwait's communications regulator, CITRA, extended type approval validity from one to three years, with renewal timing set in advance, so handset certificates need diary control.
The term · IECEx
What “IECEx” means for a smartphone
IECEx is the international scheme for certifying equipment used in explosive atmospheres. A certificate of conformity is issued by an accredited certification body against a specific edition of the IEC 60079 standards and carries a schedule of conditions of safe use. It is not a legal requirement in most countries on its own, but many national schemes accept it as the technical basis.
The IECEx certificate for the IS-04Z1 is in progress and has not been issued. The marking target is Ex ib IIC T4, the intrinsic safety concept for Zone 1 gas with the hardest gas group (IIC) and a 135 °C temperature class.
In KNPC. KNPC's refineries host international EPCs and licensors, who typically work from IECEx documents. Their reviewers look for a certificate of conformity and its schedule of conditions. The IS-04Z1 is targeting IECEx, which remains in progress, so KNPC staff should treat it as a planned route rather than an approval already held.
The route · specification
Specifying an IECEx mobile phone for KNPC
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
Check on the paper
- Marking
- Equipment group, category, protection concept, gas group and temperature class, matched to the area drawing.
- Certificate and schedule
- A certificate number, issuing body and the schedule of conditions, not a brochure claim.
- Standards edition
- The IEC 60079 or national standard edition the certificate was issued against.
Check for the IS-04Z1
- Marking target
- II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4: a target, not yet a certificate.
- Certificate status
- IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 in progress; none issued.
- Operator approval
- Separate from the certificate and handled with the site operator.
Questions · KNPC
Frequently asked questions
Can KNPC buy the IS-04Z1 today?
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.
What does an IECEx mobile phone for KNPC cost?
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.
Does the IS-04Z1 hold an IECEx certificate?
No. The IECEx certificate is in progress and has not been issued. SAMS will publish the number when it exists.
How does KNPC approve suppliers?
Supplier registration and equipment approval are run by the organisation itself; confirm current requirements with its procurement and HSE teams.
Is intrinsically safe the same as explosion proof?
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.
Why are KNPC refinery units of different ages relevant?
Mina Al-Ahmadi was first built in 1949 and Mina Abdullah in 1958, and both have been upgraded, including ultra-low-sulphur diesel production from 2014. Older and newer areas can have different classification and equipment requirements, so request the current area classification drawings.
What happened to the old Shuaiba refinery?
It was shut in March 2017 so that its facilities could be repurposed for the Clean Fuels Project. Shuaiba is therefore mainly a decommissioning and conversion site, while active refining work is concentrated at Mina Al-Ahmadi, Mina Abdullah and Al-Zour; check current status with KNPC.
Can a phone be used around tank farms and LPG plants?
Only if its protection suits the zone and gas group in the operator's drawings. A device designed around intrinsic safety would be assessed against them, and LPG and fuel vapours call for the right group. The IS-04Z1 target is IIC, but certification is in progress. Ask KNPC's HSE team first.
Related guides
Keep exploring
Other guides for KNPC, other places in Kuwait, and the pages behind them.
Explosion-Proof Mobile Phone for KNPCSame place, different guide
Intrinsically Safe Mobile Phone Supplier for KNPCSame place, different guide
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for KNPCSame place, different guide
IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for KNPCSame place, different guide
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for KOCElsewhere in Kuwait
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for EQUATEElsewhere in Kuwait
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for PICElsewhere in Kuwait
Kuwait market guideCertification route and regulators
All guides for KuwaitEvery route we cover
Certification statusWhat is in progress
Enquiry · KNPC
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for KNPC, Kuwait
Share the site details and quantity. You will get the datasheet and the certification schedule back by email; pricing is indicative only until launch.
Enquiry · KNPC
Launching Q4 2026
Planning for KNPC?
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.