Port volumes
In 2025 the port handled about 127 million tons of crude oil and 62 million tons of petroleum products, according to the port's reported figures.
Corpus Christi is a Texas Gulf Coast port described as the largest US gateway for crude oil exports. Refineries and Cheniere's LNG liquefaction terminal create Class I Division 1 and Zone 1 areas at process units, LNG trains, storage and ship loading. A rugged smartphone distributor in Corpus Christi, Texas would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Corpus Christi, Texas has no appointed SAMS distributor yet: the IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued, launch planned for Q4 2026), and distributor applications are open.
For the record, no certificate exists for the IS-04Z1 today. The programme is under way ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. A buyer's engineering review is separate from the certificate. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Ingress protection | IP65 to IP68 sealing | IP68 design |
| Drop and shock | A stated drop height onto concrete | Specification on request |
| Explosion protection | A separate certificate and marking | In progress; not issued |
| Where it applies | Corpus Christi, Texas: LNG storage and loading, Crude and product marine terminals, Refinery process units | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Corpus Christi. 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.
In 2025 the port handled about 127 million tons of crude oil and 62 million tons of petroleum products, according to the port's reported figures.
Cheniere's Corpus Christi terminal produced first LNG from its Stage 3 expansion in December 2024, designed to add about 10 million tonnes a year.
Road access is by Interstate 37, Interstate 69E and US 77, and State Highway 44 links the city west to Laredo; two main bridges, the New Harbor Bridge and the Kennedy Causeway, cross the bay.
Cheniere has told US regulators it wants to add four more liquefaction trains at Corpus Christi, with a new 42-inch, 26-mile pipeline loop and a second compressor station at Sinton to feed them.
Corpus Christi International Airport handles air travel, and although the city has a large harbour it has no passenger port, so the waterfront is used for cargo.
Records show a city high temperature of 109 degrees Fahrenheit in September 2000, while winters are mild with January lows a little below 50 degrees, so heat matters more than cold for equipment.
A rugged phone is built to survive water, dust, drops and rough handling, usually rated by an IP code and a drop specification. Ruggedness is an environmental property: it says nothing about whether a phone may be used where flammable gas or dust is present. That is decided by explosion-protection certification and marking.
The IS-04Z1 combines both: an IP68 sealed rugged build and a design for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4). The explosion-protection certificates are in progress and none has been issued.
In Corpus Christi, Texas. The Gulf Coast climate brings heat, humidity, sea air and storms, with salt exposure at the port. An IP68 rating suits wet, salty and dusty handling. It is not explosion protection, and it does not replace the Ex certification that remains in progress for SAMS.
SAMS is appointing authorised distributors ahead of the Q4 2026 launch. No territory has been granted for Corpus Christi, Texas yet and applications are reviewed company by company. Because a certified Ex device cannot be opened by an ordinary phone workshop without invalidating its certificate, SAMS looks for partners who can provide competent technical support and after-sales service locally.
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.
It is designed to IP68 sealing, with glove-friendly controls. Ruggedness is not explosion protection: that depends on the certificates, which are in progress.
Likely candidates are refinery process units, lng liquefaction trains, lng storage and loading, crude and product marine terminals. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is set by the site operator's own area classification drawings.
Apply through the distributor page with your company details and the territory you cover. SAMS reviews applications company by company and has not yet granted a territory for Corpus Christi, Texas.
LNG sites combine cryogenic storage, vaporising gas and compressor stations, so gas-hazard zones typically surround tanks, loading areas and compressor buildings. Which parts are classified is defined by the operator's drawings, and you should confirm before taking any phone into a plant.
June to September is the hottest period, with a record high of 109 degrees Fahrenheit, so check that a handset's stated operating and charging temperature range covers that, and avoid leaving devices in vehicles. Confirm the figures on the datasheet rather than assuming.
Not necessarily. LNG trains, storage and ship loading handle different substances and layouts from refinery process units, so each operator classifies its areas separately. Ask each operator which locations are classified, whether Division or Zone terms are used and what equipment evidence it accepts.
Other guides for Corpus Christi, other places in United States, 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.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.