Large floating units
Fields use FPSOs; Buzios alone reached 1 million barrels of oil equivalent a day operated with six platforms.
The Santos Basin is an offshore province in the South Atlantic, roughly 300 km south-east of Santos, spanning about 352,000 square kilometres and holding major pre-salt fields such as Tupi, Buzios and Mero. Its FPSOs create Zone 1 areas on process decks and in storage and offloading areas. Distribution partners for Santos Basin are being identified ahead of the Q4 2026 launch of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Santos Basin 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 | Santos Basin: Gas compression and export, Offloading areas, Platform process modules | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Santos Basin. 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.
Fields use FPSOs; Buzios alone reached 1 million barrels of oil equivalent a day operated with six platforms.
Pre-salt units are far offshore, so crews and equipment move by helicopter and supply vessel.
Giant fields found since 2007 include Tupi (about 8 billion barrels), Jupiter (about 1.6 billion barrels and 17 trillion cubic feet of gas) and Libra, estimated at 8 to 12 billion recoverable barrels.
Pre-salt reservoirs are ultra-deep carbonates, roughly 5,000 to 7,000 m total depth below a thick salt seal, which drives the high-pressure, high-temperature design of wells and topsides.
Santos, Guaruja and Ilhabela sit in the central onshore part of the basin, and the city of Rio de Janeiro is on the northern coastal edge, so supply bases cluster along that coast.
Associated gas in some pre-salt fields contains more than 20 percent CO2, which is separated on the FPSO, compressed and reinjected, so gas compression and high-pressure CO2 handling are routine offshore.
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 Santos Basin. Large floating units in the Santos Basin involve global contractors and shipowners. IECEx, with a certificate of conformity and schedule of conditions, is a familiar framework for them, alongside Brazil's Inmetro-accredited route. The IS-04Z1 IECEx certification is in progress.
SAMS is appointing authorised distributors ahead of the Q4 2026 launch. No territory has been granted for Santos Basin 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.
SAMS has not published a price. Any figure you are offered for an uncertified Ex phone should be treated with caution; written indicative pricing is available for a defined 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 platform process modules, wellhead areas, gas compression and export, offloading areas. 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 Santos Basin.
Petrobras is the main operator, often in partnership with other energy companies on licences. Because induction rules and approved-device lists are set per operator and unit, confirm requirements for each asset you will visit.
It is a process condition rather than an Ex rating, but gas detection, procedures and area classification take it into account. Mobile devices still follow the unit's zone rules, so confirm with the operator which markings and approvals the platform accepts.
Not necessarily. Petrobras, Shell, Repsol and Eni each set their own policies for portable devices and approvals. Ask each operator for its Ex equipment policy and the classification of the specific unit. Confirm with the site operator before ordering.
Related guides for Santos Basin and for Brazil.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.