PCH said the dividend, payable to holders at 31 December 2002, will be 0.875 cents per share and will be unfranked.

PCH Group also told the market that 2,550,000 unlisted executive options, exercisable at 28c, expired on 17 December 2002.

PCH Group provides scaffolding services for the North West Shelf project, and recently won a series of big contracts in the rapidly emerging Caspian Sea oil fields.