Port
Ras Laffan Port encloses a water area of about 4,500 hectares and handles LNG and other liquid exports.
Ras Laffan Industrial City lies about 80 km north of Doha and is administered by QatarEnergy. It is Qatar's main site for liquefied natural gas and gas-to-liquids production, so Zone 1 gas areas are widespread across plants and the port. Distribution partners for Ras Laffan Industrial City are being identified ahead of the Q4 2026 launch of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Ras Laffan Industrial City 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.
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 Laffan Industrial City: Gas processing, Gas-to-liquids plants, Refinery process units | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Ras Laffan. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
The companies on site and the hazardous-area types a handset is likely to meet there.
Ras Laffan Port encloses a water area of about 4,500 hectares and handles LNG and other liquid exports.
The industrial city was commissioned in 1996 to host facilities processing gas from the North Field.
Qatargas reported its 10,000th non-LNG shipment through the Ras Laffan terminal in 2019, so the port also handles conventional cargo, not only gas carriers.
Ras Laffan sits at very low elevation on sandy soils about 80 km north of Doha, with a reef off the coast, so the site is flat, exposed and windblown.
The industrial city exists to process gas from the North Field, found in 1971 and described as the world's biggest natural gas field, covering roughly 6,000 square km offshore.
Besides gas and liquids plants, the estate hosts the Ras Laffan A, B and C integrated water and power plants, adding gas-fired utility areas to the process units.
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 Laffan Industrial City. Ras Laffan hosts a mix of operators and the international contractors who serve them, so the IECEx scheme is a common reference language. A reviewer would look for the certificate of conformity and the schedule of conditions. For the IS-04Z1 these are targets only, as certification is in progress.
SAMS is appointing authorised distributors ahead of the Q4 2026 launch. No territory has been granted for Ras Laffan Industrial City yet and applications are reviewed company by company. Because a certified Ex device cannot be opened by an ordinary phone workshop without invalidating its certificate, SAMS looks for partners who can provide competent technical support and after-sales service locally.
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.
No. The IECEx certificate is in progress and has not been issued. SAMS will publish the number when it exists.
Likely candidates are lng production trains and storage, gas processing, gas-to-liquids plants, refinery process units. 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 Ras Laffan Industrial City.
Many use the Ras Laffan Emergency and Safety College, which trains fire, rescue and hazardous-materials teams on a 100-hectare campus. Whether it is required for your visit depends on the plant operator, so ask the operator's HSE team.
The site is low-lying and exposed, so wind-blown sand and dust are common. Look for a sealed handset with a stated dust ingress rating, keep connector covers closed, and clean devices according to the manufacturer's instructions before taking them back into a classified area.
Entry and equipment approval are controlled by QatarEnergy and each plant operator, and contractors go through site induction. A new device would normally need approval from the plant before use in a classified area. Ask the operator for its current process, and expect it to differ between plants.
Related guides for Ras Laffan and for Qatar.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.