A deck that never stops moving
Crew on a moored vessel work in a constantly moving environment, with wet steel, spray and wind. IP68 sealing and rugged build are specified for that sort of exposure, and glove operation supports work in foul weather.
Australia · Shell Australia
Explosion proof mobile phone for Shell Australia, Prelude FLNG
An explosion proof mobile phone for Shell Australia is needed in two very different places: Prelude FLNG, a floating liquefaction facility moored in the Browse Basin about 475 km north-north-east of Broome, and QCLNG, the onshore LNG plant on Curtis Island at Gladstone. This page covers what is classified at each, how a floating site changes the logistics, and what the IS-04Z1 is being certified for. The IS-04Z1 is designed around intrinsic safety rather than a flameproof enclosure.
Launching Q4 2026 · IECEx programme in progress
Local approvalANZEx · IECExIECEx · ANZEx in progress
AvailabilityQ4 2026via authorised distributors
The sites · Prelude and QCLNG
Where an explosion proof mobile phone is needed on Prelude and QCLNG
Prelude produces gas offshore, liquefies it on the vessel, stores LNG, LPG and condensate in its hull and offloads to carriers, with design capacity of about 3.6 million tonnes of LNG a year. A turret holds it on station, and crews reach it by helicopter, with Broome used as the helicopter base. QCLNG sits at the other end of the range: coal seam gas from the Surat Basin is taken by pipeline to a liquefaction plant on Curtis Island, off Gladstone. Prelude puts every hazard in one steel hull, and QCLNG spreads them across a plant and a very large network of wells and pipelines.
Facilities
- Prelude FLNG
- Floating production, liquefaction, storage and offloading vessel in the Browse Basin.
- Turret and subsea
- Mooring and the gas and condensate supply from the field.
- Offloading
- Side-by-side transfer of LNG, LPG and condensate to carriers.
- QCLNG plant
- Liquefaction on Curtis Island, Gladstone, Queensland.
- Surat Basin gas fields
- Coal seam gas wells, gathering and compression.
- Broome
- Helicopter and logistics base serving Prelude.
Classified areas
- Prelude topsides
- Gas processing, liquefaction and refrigerant circuits on the vessel deck.
- Prelude cargo and storage tanks
- LNG, LPG and condensate handling around tanks and offloading arms.
- Turret and flare
- Release and venting points on the hull.
- QCLNG trains and storage
- Liquefaction, tankage and the marine loading jetty.
- Field compression stations
- Gas gathering and compression in the Surat Basin.
- Accommodation and offices
- Outside the classified boundary.
Built for local conditions
What a floating plant does to a handset
At QCLNG the issues are scale and heat. On Prelude the vessel moves, the deck is crowded and the nearest shore is far away, so reliability matters more than anything on a datasheet.
IP ratingIP68
Battery4,000 mAh
Camera50 MP
OSAndroid 16
Few places to charge
Most of Prelude's working areas are classified, and the safe-area spaces are the accommodation and control rooms. The 4,000 mAh battery is specified for a working shift between those points.
Cyclone season at sea
Northern Western Australia has a cyclone season, and facilities plan for evacuations. A managed handset can be locked, wiped or recovered according to the operator's own procedure when crews leave in a hurry.
Position on a crowded hull
Four-constellation GNSS helps less inside steel than on open ground, so operators will rely on tag and area names. The 50 MP camera is the dependable record of a defect.
Heat and scale at Curtis Island
QCLNG is a large plant on a hot Queensland coast. The marking target is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4, and Android Enterprise management applies equally to both Shell sites.
Use cases · Shell Australia
Where the IS-04Z1 goes to work.
Offshore01
Topsides and cargo rounds on Prelude
An operator or technician walking the vessel's process and cargo areas records readings and photographs defects, then reports to the control room from the same device.
Marine02
Offloading support
Offloading to a carrier involves vessel crew, terminal staff and contractors in one operation. A managed handset gives each the same approved applications.
Onshore03
QCLNG plant and field maintenance
At Curtis Island and in the Surat Basin, maintenance crews work across the plant and a wide network of wells. A handset with GNSS and a camera suits both.
Work pattern and buying
How work is organised, and what buyers ask
Prelude's crew is on a rotation with helicopter transfers, and QCLNG runs with contractors alongside its own staff. The points below should be raised with Shell's own teams. SAMS makes no claim of any relationship with Shell.
- Rotations
- Helicopter transfers limit what travels with a crew. Ask Shell how equipment is sent offshore and in what packaging, and whether handsets stay on the vessel.
- Marine requirements
- A floating facility also has marine and class requirements. These are separate from the Ex certificate, and the operator's engineers can say which apply to a handset.
- Shutdown planning
- Turnarounds at either site concentrate contractor numbers. Evaluating a device is easier outside those windows.
- Supplier approval
- Shell's procurement and HSE teams set what a supplier must provide. SAMS has not been through any Shell process; ask for their current requirements.
- Evidence for the engineer
- The IECEx certificate, ANZEx from the same reports and ACMA RCM marking for the radios. NOPSEMA oversees offshore safety cases. All certification is in progress ahead of Q4 2026.
Questions · Shell Australia
Frequently asked questions
Is the IS-04Z1 certified for use on Prelude or QCLNG yet?
No. The device is pre-launch, with IECEx and ANZEx certification in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch. No certificate has been issued.
Does a floating vessel need a different certificate?
The gas classification is the same family as a fixed platform. Marine and vessel-specific requirements are separate and are set by the operator and the relevant regulators, so ask Shell's engineers what applies.
Is a handset useful if GNSS is weak on the hull?
Yes, for calls, photographs, permits and records. Position is one feature among several and the operator will use area and equipment tags inside the hull.
Is Prelude the same as QCLNG?
No. Prelude is a floating offshore facility in Western Australia. QCLNG is an onshore plant in Queensland, supplied by coal seam gas. They have different logistics and different teams.
Enquiry · Shell Australia
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for Shell Australia, Australia
Tell us the site, the zone and gas group, and roughly how many handsets. The SAMS team replies by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule for Australia. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch and certification is in progress, so there is no list price yet; indicative pricing is issued in writing against a stated quantity and site.
Enquiry · Shell Australia
Launching Q4 2026
Evaluating the IS-04Z1 for this site?
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule for your market.