The Ruling on Praying the Friday Prayer on a Ship

The questioner:
May Allah reward you. Honorable Shaykh, a questioner says: I work on a private ship for the purpose of working on oil pipelines in the depths of the sea. We are on board for four months, working on these pipelines. We may stay in one place in the sea for a month, then move to another place. Is it obligatory for us to pray the Friday prayer?

The Shaykh:
If there is a Friday prayer around you, a mosque around you, and you are able to pray, then it is obligatory for you to do so. But if there is no mosque around you, or there is one but you cannot go because your work does not allow you to go to the Friday prayer, then pray the midday prayer in your place. Yes.

The questioner:
He says, may Allah keep you safe: We know that we have a prayer area on the ship, and the number of passengers exceeds forty people.

The Shaykh:
No, pray the midday prayer. Even if you were four thousand, you would pray the midday prayer; you do not pray the Friday prayer. Yes.