JINAN - A court in East China's Shandong province announced on Saturday that it has sentenced five men to death for killing 16 crew members during a voyage.

The Intermediate People's Court of Weihai City ruled that Liu Guiduo and another ten people were guilty of acts of intentional homicide that left 16 dead and six others missing, a statement from the court said.

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

Under Liu's command, ten crew members killed 16 people onboard, while six others have remained missing, the statement said.

Liu and other four principal culprits received death penalties, and six accessories were given sentences including death sentence with reprieve, life imprisonment and fixed-term imprisonment.

They were arrested on August 12, 2011, the court said.