Beijing, Jul 21 (IANS): A court in China's Shandong province has awarded death sentence to five men for killing 16 crew members during a sea voyage. The killers were disgruntled over salary issue.

The Intermediate People's Court of Weihai City ruled that Liu Guiduo and 10 others were guilty of acts of intentional homicide which left 16 dead and six missing, reported Xinhua citing the court's statement Saturday.

Liu and other crew members who were onboard the Lurongyu 2682 were not content with their salaries. They planned to hijack the vessel and return home during a voyage, between June 17 to July 25, 2011, in the sea area near Chile.

Under Liu's command, 10 crew members killed 16 people onboard, while six others went missing, it said.

Liu and other four main culprits were awarded death penalties, and six accessories were given sentences including death sentence with reprieve, life imprisonment and fixed-term imprisonment, the court said.