Azerbaijan: industry on the ground
The terminal has processing capacity of 1.2 million barrels of oil and 1.25 billion cubic feet of gas a day, with storage of about 3 million barrels, so tank farms and process trains are large.
A Zone 1 / Zone 21 smartphone for crews on the Caspian platforms, the Sangachal terminal, the Baku refinery and the petrochemical plants at Sumgait. This page explains what to look for in an intrinsically safe smartphone for Azerbaijan, 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 Azerbaijan: 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.
| 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 | Azerbaijan: Sangachal terminal, ACG and Shah Deniz, offshore, Baku | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Azerbaijan. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Operators and classified areas drawn from the SAMS Azerbaijan market guide.
The terminal has processing capacity of 1.2 million barrels of oil and 1.25 billion cubic feet of gas a day, with storage of about 3 million barrels, so tank farms and process trains are large.
The Sangachal Terminal Expansion Program started in November 2001 with a budget of 1.2 to 2 billion US dollars and included accommodation for about 550 people on site.
Construction began in 1996 with the Early Oil Project and oil was first exported in October 1997, after which ACG oil trains, a BTC pumping station and the Shah Deniz gas plant were added.
Sangachal Terminal is on the Caspian coast 45 kilometres south of Baku and covers about 500 hectares, forming the main shore base for the offshore fields.
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 Azerbaijan. Platform and terminal rounds involve stairs, ladders, wet decks and crew transfers, with no safe socket mid shift. An intrinsically safe handheld is designed to be used on those rounds as it is, for photographs, tag scans and readings between structures at Sangachal, with a 4,000 mAh battery sized for a working day.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
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.
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.
The market guide for Azerbaijan covers Sangachal terminal, ACG and Shah Deniz, offshore, Baku, Sumgait Chemical Industrial Park, among others. Site-level pages are linked below.
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.
Typically at the Sangachal oil and gas terminal south of Baku, offshore Caspian platforms feeding it, and refining and petrochemical plants around Baku and Sumgait. The operator issues the classification drawings, so request the zone, gas group and temperature class before specifying equipment.
Caspian coastal sites combine wind, salt-laden air and hot summers with cold spells in winter, so check ingress protection, corrosion resistance and a wide operating temperature range. Confirm site-specific limits and any offshore transfer rules with the operator before shipping devices.
Imported equipment can need national conformity certification, and radio equipment needs approval before use on local networks. The partner handling the shipment confirms which apply. None is finished for the IS-04Z1, as certification is in progress. Check with SOCAR or your operator's procurement team before ordering.
Related guides for Azerbaijan and for Azerbaijan.
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.