Export refinery
More than 80 per cent of production is reported as exported to the United States.
Irving Oil's Saint John refinery is Canada's largest, able to process more than 320,000 barrels of crude per day. Crude arrives by supertanker at the Canaport deep-water terminal, and process units and storage contain classified areas. If you are specifying an intrinsically safe smartphone for Saint John, New Brunswick, this page covers the markings, the approvals and the current certification status of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Saint John, New Brunswick: 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 | Saint John, New Brunswick: Refinery process units, Crude and product storage, Marine terminal | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Saint John Refinery. 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.
More than 80 per cent of production is reported as exported to the United States.
Canaport was commissioned in 1970 and was the first deep-water crude terminal in the western hemisphere able to receive supertankers.
The Irving Oil Refinery in Saint John was built from 1960 with a California partner and expanded to Canada's largest refinery, processing over 300,000 barrels per day.
The Port of Saint John is Canada's third-largest by tonnage, with a cargo base that includes dry and liquid bulk and break bulk, giving the refinery and terminals deep-water supply routes.
An Irving Oil statement from the Canaport LNG agreements described the refinery as predominantly an export refinery that supplies about half of Canada's petroleum product exports.
Canaport is a deep-water crude oil receiving terminal with one single-point mooring for supertankers, plus a jetty for LNG tankers, so tanker movements are part of the local operating picture.
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 Saint John, New Brunswick. A refinery able to process more than 320,000 barrels of crude per day has long rounds across units, tank storage and the terminal. An intrinsically safe handheld supports inspection checklists and photos at the equipment. Turnaround work follows the permit system the refinery already uses.
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.
Likely candidates are refinery process units, crude and product storage, marine terminal. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is set by the site operator's own area classification drawings.
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.
Large refineries run planned maintenance outages that bring many contractors, with operator-set dates. Ask the operator's contractor team about timing, site induction and which devices are approved for process areas, and book any certified equipment early.
A coastal port brings humidity, salt and fog, and winters are cold, so sealed devices with corrosion-resistant connectors and low-temperature ratings are sensible. Confirm operator guidance on ingress protection and temperature class.
It can. The Bay of Fundy coast is damp and foggy, so ingress protection and corrosion resistance are useful. IP68 describes dust and water protection, not explosion protection. Check the datasheet for environmental limits and ask Irving Oil how long devices stay outdoors on the marine terminal.
Other guides for Saint John Refinery, other places in Canada, and the pages behind them.
Share the site details and quantity. You will get the datasheet and the certification schedule back by email; pricing is indicative only until launch.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.