Borouge: people and language
Borouge was reported to have a workforce of more than 3,100 people, so the Ruwais plants run as a staffed industrial site with its own induction and permit practice.
Borouge is a polyolefins producer making polyethylene and polypropylene at Ruwais, founded in 1998 through a partnership between ADNOC and Borealis. Since 31 March 2026 Borouge Plc has been part of Borouge Group International AG, formed from Borouge, Borealis and NOVA Chemicals. This page explains what to look for in an intrinsically safe mobile phone for Borouge, and where the IS-04Z1 stands against that list today.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Borouge: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
Current position: certification in progress, nothing issued, launch targeted 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Borouge: Polyethylene and polypropylene plants, Cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) plant, Polymer powder and pellet handling | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in United Arab Emirates. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Where it operates and the kinds of classified area a handset would meet there.
Borouge's e-procurement page directs suppliers to register on the ADNOC Commercial Directory (not applicable in Asia Pacific, where the local Borouge office is the contact); confirm current requirements with its procurement and HSE teams. 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.
Borouge was reported to have a workforce of more than 3,100 people, so the Ruwais plants run as a staffed industrial site with its own induction and permit practice.
In September 2026 the new XLPE plant at Ruwais delivered its first customer batch after performance testing, adding 100,000 tonnes a year and doubling the group's XLPE output in the region.
Borouge 4 includes a 1.5 million tonne ethane cracker, two Borstar polyethylene plants and a cross-linked polyethylene plant, so ethane and ethylene handling is central to the new units.
Upon expansion Borouge was expected to be the largest single-site polyolefin complex in the world, supplying feedstock to the nearby TA'ZIZ Industrial Chemicals Zone.
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 Borouge. Rounds across an ethane cracker, polymer plants and chemical storage and loading involve gauge readings, checks and loading-area inspections. A handheld designed for intrinsic safety could capture readings, photos and calls in classified spots if its certificate allows. Permit rules at Ruwais belong to Borouge.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
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.
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.
Borouge's e-procurement page directs suppliers to register on the ADNOC Commercial Directory (not applicable in Asia Pacific, where the local Borouge office is the contact); confirm current requirements with its procurement and HSE teams.
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.
Ruwais is a coastal desert location with high heat, humidity and salt, plus dust from pellet and powder handling. Check the operating temperature range, ingress protection and corrosion resistance of the enclosure, and confirm any area-specific limits with the operator before deploying equipment.
Ruwais is a shared industrial complex with several operators, and each company controls access and equipment rules inside its own plants. Check which entity operates the unit, because induction, hot-work permits and device approvals are set by that operator and not by the neighbouring facilities.
The sheet says Borouge points suppliers to the ADNOC Commercial Directory e-procurement page for registration. Requirements may change, and corporate structure changes were noted in 2026, so confirm with Borouge's procurement and HSE teams. The IS-04Z1 has no certificate yet.
Other guides for Borouge, other places in United Arab Emirates, and the pages behind them.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.