Large floating units
Fields use FPSOs; Buzios alone reached 1 million barrels of oil equivalent a day operated with six platforms.
Santos Basin · intrinsically safe
Intrinsically Safe Smartphone in Santos Basin
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. If you are specifying an intrinsically safe smartphone for Santos Basin, 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
DeviceSmartphone
RouteSpecification
WhereSantos Basin
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Santos Basin: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
Status: pre-launch. IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress and no certificate has been issued; launch is planned for Q4 2026. Operator approval runs on its own timeline. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
At a glance · intrinsically safe
Checklist: intrinsically safe smartphone for Santos Basin
| 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 | Santos Basin: Platform process modules, Wellhead areas, Gas compression and export | Classified by the site operator |
Product · Santos Basin
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 Santos Basin. 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 site · Santos Basin
Santos Basin: where the IS-04Z1 would work
Who operates there and which kinds of classified area a handset would meet, from the SAMS site research.
Operators and companies on site
- Petrobras
- Shell
- Repsol
- Eni
Classified areas to expect
- Platform process modules
- Wellhead areas
- Gas compression and export
- Offloading areas
Local conditions · Santos Basin
Conditions in Santos Basin that affect handheld equipment
Far from shore
Pre-salt units are far offshore, so crews and equipment move by helicopter and supply vessel.
Field notes · Santos Basin
More about Santos Basin that matters for portable equipment
Santos Basin: geography and layout
The basin is known for thick salt layers that deform into structures in the subsurface, and the pre-salt Tupi reservoir sits in microbialite carbonates of the Guaratiba Group beneath that salt.
Santos Basin: industry on the ground
Petrobras reported pre-salt production of 2.45 million barrels of oil equivalent a day in 2025, about 82% of its total output, which shows how much of its production now comes from pre-salt fields.
Santos Basin: geography and layout
The Santos Basin spans about 352,000 km2, mostly offshore, around 300 km southeast of Santos, and borders the coasts of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Parana and Santa Catarina states.
Santos Basin: projects and investment
Two new pre-salt platforms started in 2025 in the Santos Basin: the FPSO Almirante Tamandaré at the Búzios field and the FPSO Alexandre de Gusmão at the Mero field.
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 Santos Basin. Rounds on a large FPSO, such as one of the platforms at Buzios, cover long distances between modules. A handheld that is intrinsically safe lets inspectors work with checklists and photos wherever they are. The IS-04Z1 is designed for this, subject to certification.
The route · specification
Specifying an intrinsically safe smartphone for Santos Basin
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 · Santos Basin
Frequently asked questions
Can we buy an intrinsically safe smartphone in Santos Basin today?
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.
What does an intrinsically safe smartphone in Santos Basin cost?
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.
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.
Which areas at Santos Basin would use it?
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.
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.
What hazardous zones appear on pre-salt FPSOs?
Typically the turret and riser area, process and gas treatment decks, compression and CO2 handling areas, crude storage and offloading, and helideck fuel. Zones, gas groups and temperature classes are on the unit's classification drawings, so request them before choosing handheld devices.
How far offshore are the Santos Basin fields?
The basin lies roughly 300 km southeast of Santos and the best-known discoveries are far offshore in deep water, so crew changes are mainly by helicopter and supply is by vessel. Confirm carry-on rules for powered devices with the operator.
How do spares reach a pre-salt platform?
Pre-salt units are far offshore, so crews and equipment move by helicopter and supply vessel. Spares need planning in advance. Confirm approvals, documentation and delivery routes with the operator and its contractors before relying on offshore replacement.
Related guides
Keep exploring
Other guides for Santos Basin, other places in Brazil, and the pages behind them.
Hazardous Area Mobile Phone in Santos BasinSame place, different guide
Rugged Mobile Phone Distributor in Santos BasinSame place, different guide
Explosion-Proof Mobile Phone in Santos BasinSame place, different guide
IECEx Mobile Phone Distributor in Santos BasinSame place, different guide
Industrial Mobile Phone in Santos BasinSame place, different guide
Ex-Proof Mobile Phone Distributor in Santos BasinSame place, different guide
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Distributor in Angra dos ReisElsewhere in Brazil
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Distributor in Manaus Industrial ZoneElsewhere in Brazil
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Distributor in NiteroiElsewhere in Brazil
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Distributor in Itaborai PetrochemicalElsewhere in Brazil
Brazil market guideCertification route and regulators
All guides for BrazilEvery route we cover
Certification statusWhat is in progress
Enquiry · Santos Basin
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for Santos Basin, 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.
Enquiry · Santos Basin
Launching Q4 2026
Planning for Santos Basin?
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.