One setup across many installations
A technician who rotates between Valhall and Ula should not meet a different phone and a different app set at each. Android Enterprise management keeps the configuration identical wherever the device is enrolled.
Norway · Aker BP
Explosion proof mobile phone for Aker BP in Norway
Aker BP operates the Alvheim, Valhall, Edvard Grieg, Ivar Aasen, Skarv and Ula field centres on the Norwegian continental shelf and is building the Yggdrasil area development. This page is for the HSE, telecoms and operations people who decide what an explosion proof mobile phone in Norway may be carried onto an Aker BP installation. The IS-04Z1 is designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21; its ATEX and IECEx certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch. The IS-04Z1 is designed around intrinsic safety rather than a flameproof enclosure.
Launching Q4 2026 · certification programme in progress
Local approvalATEX · IECExATEX 2014/34/EU through the EEA · in progress
AvailabilityQ4 2026via authorised distributors
The sites · Aker BP
Where Aker BP works in Norway
Aker BP's installations are spread across the whole shelf, which is what makes a single, enrolled handset attractive. Alvheim is a floating production vessel in the central North Sea, producing since 2008. Valhall, in the southern North Sea, has produced since 1982 and is being extended with a new unmanned platform, PWP-Fenris. Edvard Grieg and Ivar Aasen sit on the Utsira High, and Aker BP took over operatorship of Edvard Grieg from Lundin in 2022. Skarv is a floating production vessel in the Norwegian Sea. Ula and its neighbours lie in the southern North Sea. On a vessel like Alvheim or Skarv the hazard map includes cargo tank and turret areas as well as the process deck; on a jacket such as Ivar Aasen it is the process modules, wellhead area and drilling facilities.
Fields and installations
- Alvheim
- Floating production vessel with subsea wells tied back; crude is offloaded to shuttle tankers.
- Valhall
- Field centre with a new unmanned wellhead platform under construction alongside it.
- Edvard Grieg and Ivar Aasen
- Neighbouring Utsira High platforms with their own tiebacks.
- Skarv
- Floating production vessel in the Norwegian Sea, exporting gas through the shared transport system.
- Ula, Tambar and Hod
- Southern North Sea area where normally unmanned platforms depend on visiting crews.
- Yggdrasil
- Multi-field development under construction; its commissioning will bring new classified areas.
Contractors and classified situations
- Alliance and service contractors
- Aker BP leans heavily on long-term contractors, so many of the people in a classified area are not Aker BP employees.
- Process modules
- Separation, gas compression and crude handling; Zone 1 and Zone 2 areas around them.
- Vessel hull spaces
- Cargo tanks, turret and offloading systems on the floating vessels.
- Drilling and wells
- Production drilling campaigns running next to live installations.
- Offices at Fornebu, Stavanger and Trondheim
- Safe-area planning and control-room functions.
Built for local conditions
What an explosion proof mobile phone has to do for Aker BP crews
Spread-out assets set the requirement. A handset that works on Alvheim must also work the same way on a normally unmanned platform that a crew visits for a day.
IP ratingIP68
Battery4,000 mAh
Camera50 MP
OSAndroid 16
Short visits to unmanned platforms
A visit to a normally unmanned installation is planned to the hour. A 4,000 mAh battery is sized for a full shift, and the camera and GNSS record what was found without a second device.
Salt, spray and cold on the Norwegian Sea
Skarv and the other exposed locations see wet, cold weather for much of the year. IP68 sealing and rugged build are aimed at that, with the certified temperature range published on the datasheet.
Work patterns · Aker BP
How work is organised and what procurement will ask
Offshore crews follow the usual shelf rotation, with helicopter transfers from the coast, and Aker BP's contractor-heavy model means a large share of any shift is contractor staff. Maintenance and modification campaigns run continuously, with extra crews added during shutdowns. For a handset, the useful question is how quickly a new contractor can be enrolled and the unit returned and wiped.
Aker BP publishes information for suppliers on its website, and the operators on the shelf share a qualification register, Magnet JQS, formerly EPIM JQS. Equipment for classified areas is then judged against the operator's own technical requirements and equipment register. SAMS has not been through that process for this device, and the page makes no claim otherwise; ask Aker BP's procurement and HSE teams what is required.
Maintenance01
Planned maintenance rounds on a field centre
A round on Valhall or Alvheim brings readings, photographs and work-order updates together on one device, instead of a notebook, a camera and a radio carried into a Zone 1 area.
Unmanned02
Visits to normally unmanned platforms
The crew arrives with a task list, photographs conditions, and reports from the platform itself. Position and time are recorded with the photographs.
Projects03
Hook-up and commissioning for new developments
When a project such as Yggdrasil moves from construction to commissioning, many contractors work in areas that are becoming classified. A managed device keeps them to approved applications.
Questions · Aker BP
Frequently asked questions
Is the IS-04Z1 approved for use on Aker BP installations?
No. The certificates are still in progress and no approval from Aker BP has been sought or given. Acceptance on any installation is Aker BP's own decision, based on certificates, its equipment register and an assessment of the device in use.
How does a contractor-heavy rotation affect device management?
Contractors arrive and leave in groups. The device is managed from existing MDM consoles, so it can be enrolled to a contractor profile for a campaign, restricted to approved applications, then wiped and reissued.
Which gas group should we specify for Aker BP's installations?
That comes from each installation's classification drawings. The marking target for the IS-04Z1 is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4, the broadest gas group, so areas with hydrogen are not ruled out. Check the temperature class against the area drawing.
Enquiry · Aker BP
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for Aker BP, Norway
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 Norway. 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 · Aker BP
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.