Man falls off oil tanker off WA coast

A 41-year-old man is missing after falling overboard from a crude oil tanker off Western Australia's northern coast.

A distress signal was received at 3am on Sunday from the Sigma Integrity, a Liberian crude oil tanker, that a man had fallen overboard northwest of Carnarvon in the Gascoyne region.

An Australian Maritime Safety Authority spokesman said the Sigma Integrity had dropped flotation equipment for the man.

The Venus and Vil Atlantic vessels are helping with the search.

A Dornier search and rescue aircraft from Perth is also in the area but will need to refuel in the afternoon, so two Bristow helicopters from Exmouth will then join the search.