Bapco: projects and investment
Bapco Refining manages what Bapco Energies calls the largest energy investment in Bahrain, so contractor and commissioning activity is heavy around the refinery.
Bapco · intrinsically safe
Intrinsically Safe Mobile Phone for Bapco
The Bahrain Petroleum Company was founded in 1929, discovered oil in 1932 and built Bahrain's first refinery in 1936. Today Bapco Energies is Bahrain's energy group, with operating companies for refining, upstream, gas, fuel retail, aviation fuelling and gasoline blending. If you are specifying an intrinsically safe mobile phone for Bapco, 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 topicintrinsically safe
DeviceMobile Phone
RouteSpecification
WhereBapco
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Bapco: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
For the record, no certificate exists for the IS-04Z1 today. The programme is under way ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. An operator's own vendor approval is a separate step. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
At a glance · intrinsically safe
Checklist: intrinsically safe mobile phone for Bapco
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Level of protection | ia, ib or ic matched to the zone | ib, for Zone 1 |
| Entity parameters | Uo, Io and Po within the device limits | Published with the certificate |
| Accessories | Chargers and cases certified with the device | Defined at certification |
| Where it applies | Bapco: Refinery process units, Fuel storage tank farms and wharf, Gas handling | Classified by the site operator |
Product · Bahrain
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 Bahrain. 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 · Bapco
Working with Bapco Energies (Bapco Refining is the successor of the Bahrain Petroleum Company): sites and classified areas
The main sites and the hazardous-area types a portable device is likely to meet at this organisation.
Sites and areas
- Sitra refinery complex
- Bahrain Field (Awali)
- Aviation fuelling (Bapco Air Fueling)
Classified areas
- Refinery process units
- Fuel storage tank farms and wharf
- Gas handling
- Onshore oil production
Supplier approval · Bapco
Supplier registration at Bapco
Bapco Energies' website carries a Vendors & Suppliers page under its Our Responsibility section; confirm current registration steps with its procurement team. 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 · Bapco
More about Bapco that matters for portable equipment
Bapco: who works there
Bapco Energies, formerly nogaholding, was set up in 2007 and became an independent agency when the National Oil and Gas Authority was abolished in September 2021, so it now acts as the Bahrain energy group's parent.
Bapco: projects and investment
Reports say the expansion includes a 65,000 barrel a day LC-Fining residue hydrocracking unit, new 225,000 barrel a day crude distillation units and sulphur recovery systems, with commissioning targeted for late 2025.
Bapco: infrastructure
Bahrain's LNG import terminal at Al Hidd, opened in May 2019, has a floating storage unit, jetty, regasification platform, onshore gas storage and nitrogen plant, and a capacity of about 800 million cubic feet a day.
The term · intrinsically safe
What “intrinsically safe” means for a smartphone
Intrinsic safety limits the electrical and thermal energy in a circuit so that neither a spark nor a hot surface can ignite a gas or dust atmosphere, even when a fault occurs. The ib level, used for Zone 1, tolerates one fault. It is the usual way to make a handheld device that a worker carries continuously through a hazardous area.
The IS-04Z1 is designed on this principle for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4). Intrinsic safety is a design basis, not a certificate: certification is in progress and none has been issued yet.
In Bapco. Rounds across the Sitra refinery, gas treatment plant and fuel loading areas involve reading gauges, photographing leaks and filing permits, often in classified areas. A handheld designed as intrinsically safe could handle those tasks on one device. The IS-04Z1 is designed for that, though certification is still in progress.
The route · specification
Specifying an intrinsically safe mobile phone for Bapco
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 · Bapco
Frequently asked questions
Can Bapco buy the IS-04Z1 today?
Not today. Until the certificates are issued the IS-04Z1 stays out of classified areas, and until launch there is nothing to purchase. You can ask for the datasheet and the certification schedule, or book a safe-area evaluation unit.
What does an intrinsically safe mobile phone for Bapco cost?
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.
What does ‘intrinsically safe’ mean for the IS-04Z1?
The circuits are designed to limit energy so a spark or hot surface cannot ignite a gas or dust atmosphere, even with one fault (level ib, Zone 1). Certification of that design is in progress.
How does Bapco approve suppliers?
Bapco Energies' website carries a Vendors & Suppliers page under its Our Responsibility section; confirm current registration steps with its procurement team.
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.
Does Bapco's expansion affect what handheld equipment is needed?
New process units, including residue hydrocracking, crude distillation and sulphur recovery, usually mean new classified areas with hydrogen, hydrocarbon and sulphur compounds. Gas groups and temperature classes can differ between units, so ask the project team for the area classification documents.
What is the Bapco Modernisation Programme?
A major expansion and upgrade of the Sitra refinery that raises capacity from 267,000 to 380,000 barrels a day, replaces older units and changes the tank farm, wharf and transfer pipelines. During startup, expect many contractors, new units and changing area classification drawings.
How does Bahrain's heat affect a handset on rounds?
Heat and humidity reduce battery comfort and screen visibility outdoors, and direct sun can raise surface temperature. Check the device's stated operating range and the area temperature class. IP68 helps with dust and moisture but is not explosion protection. Keep spare charging in a safe area.
Related guides
Keep exploring
Other guides for Bapco, other places in Bahrain, and the pages behind them.
IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for BapcoSame place, different guide
Explosion-Proof Mobile Phone Supplier for BapcoSame place, different guide
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for BapcoSame place, different guide
Intrinsically Safe Mobile Phone Supplier for BapcoSame place, different guide
Bahrain market guideCertification route and regulators
All guides for BahrainEvery route we cover
Certification statusWhat is in progress
Enquiry · Bapco
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for Bapco, Bahrain
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Enquiry · Bapco
Launching Q4 2026
Planning for Bapco?
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.