Access
Aramco facilities are controlled-access sites; Dammam airport serves commercial travel.
The marine complex is described as handling over 2,000 tankers a year, using an artificial island, north and south piers and the Ju'aymah crude terminal. Refining, terminal and gas plant areas create Zone 1 conditions. If you are specifying an IECEx mobile phone for Ras Tanura, this page covers the markings, the approvals and the current certification status of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Ras Tanura: 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. Operator approval runs on its own timeline. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
| 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 | Ras Tanura: Refinery process units, Crude export terminal piers and sea islands, Storage tank farms | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Ras Tanura. 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.
Aramco facilities are controlled-access sites; Dammam airport serves commercial travel.
The oil terminal has North and South Piers and a Sea Islands section.
The refinery was established in 1939 and expanded substantially after the Second World War, so equipment and layouts range from very old to recently modernised.
The area was officially called Rahima from 1941 until 1986, when the historical name was restored, so older Aramco documents and maps may use the earlier name.
The governorate's industrial infrastructure is centrally managed and operated by Saudi Aramco, so a single operator's rules cover refinery, terminal and gas plant work.
Ras Tanura is a peninsula governorate bordered by Jubail to the north and Qatif to the west and south, so road access runs through neighbouring governorates.
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 Ras Tanura. A crude export terminal draws in tanker, marine and terminal contractors from many countries, so IECEx is a convenient shared reference. A certificate of conformity and schedule of conditions would be the documents reviewed. For the IS-04Z1 they remain targets, as certification is in progress.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
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.
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.
No. The IECEx certificate is in progress and has not been issued. SAMS will publish the number when it exists.
Likely candidates are refinery process units, crude export terminal piers and sea islands, storage tank farms, natural gas liquids fractionation (ju'aymah). 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.
Saudi Aramco manages and operates the industrial infrastructure, so its safety and approval procedures apply to contractors working on the refinery, terminal and gas plant. Check the current vendor and equipment-approval requirements with the Aramco project owner or the main contractor.
Both. The refinery dates from 1939 and has been expanded many times, so older plant sits alongside modern units. For handheld devices, ask for the area classification and equipment group for each unit, since gas groups and temperature classes can differ between old and new areas.
Only if its protection suits the classified area there, and if the operator permits it. The piers and sea islands handle crude, where Aramco classifies the area. Ask Aramco or the site contractor for the zone and the device approval route before any handset goes near a loading point.
Related guides for Ras Tanura and for Saudi Arabia.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.