Urban shipyard
The 65,000 square metre yard is within the Rio metropolitan area across the bay from downtown.
Niteroi lies across Guanabara Bay from Rio de Janeiro and is mainly a commercial city. The Brasa yard there, a partnership of SBM Offshore and Synergy operating since 2012, integrates FPSO topside modules with hulls for pre-salt service, so shipyard hazardous areas are present. An IECEx smartphone distributor in Niteroi would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Niteroi 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.
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.
| 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 | Niteroi: FPSO module fabrication and integration, Shipyard tank and hull work, Fuel and gas handling at quaysides | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Niteroi. 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.
The 65,000 square metre yard is within the Rio metropolitan area across the bay from downtown.
FPSO hulls berth at the yard for integration, for example Cidade de Marica in 2015.
Niteroi has a tropical monsoon climate with warm to hot temperatures all year and relatively frequent rainfall, so humidity is a constant factor for equipment stored or used outdoors.
The Rio-Niterói Bridge, completed in 1974, is 13.29 km long and has a 72 m high central span so that ships can pass into Guanabara Bay, linking Niterói to Rio de Janeiro by road.
Niteroi lies across Guanabara Bay from Rio de Janeiro; it was founded in 1573 and served as capital of Rio de Janeiro state until 1975, apart from a short period from 1894 to 1903.
Industry reports in 2025 said Hanwha Ocean was considering a shipyard in Niteroi to meet local-content requirements tied to Petrobras projects such as the FPSO P-86 tender.
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 Niteroi. FPSO module work at Brasa, a partnership of SBM Offshore and Synergy, involves hulls and modules from different countries, so IECEx with its certificate of conformity and schedule of conditions is familiar to the people concerned. The IS-04Z1 IECEx route is in progress, not complete.
A distributor for Niteroi 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.
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.
No. The IECEx certificate is in progress and has not been issued. SAMS will publish the number when it exists.
Likely candidates are fpso module fabrication and integration, shipyard tank and hull work, fuel and gas handling at quaysides. 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 Niteroi.
Local-content requirements are a decisive factor in Petrobras tenders, and shipyards respond to them. For handheld devices it is usually a contractor-level question, so confirm with the yard or main contractor whether domestic sourcing or registration applies.
A tropical monsoon climate means warm, humid weather and frequent rain, so sealed cases, drying routines and spare batteries are sensible. Confirm the operator's ingress protection and temperature requirements for outdoor classified areas.
Only where the work is classified, such as tank and hull work or fuel and gas handling at quaysides, as set by the yard and its HSE team. Other areas may not be. Confirm the classification for each job with the site operator.
More on Niteroi, and on other places in Brazil.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.