Process for preparing a cobalt - containing fischer tropsch catalyst

A process for preparing a cobalt-containing hydrocarbon synthesis catalyst, which process includes

• calcining an initial catalyst precursor comprising a catalyst support supporting a cobalt compound, by heat treating the initial catalyst precursor under non-reducing conditions in order to decompose the cobalt compound and/or to cause the cobalt compound to react with oxygen, thereby to obtain a calcined initial catalyst precursor;
• introducing a cobalt compound onto and/or into the calcined initial catalyst precursor so that the calcined initial catalyst precursor supports this cobalt compound thereby obtaining a subsequent catalyst precursor;
• and
• directly subjecting the subsequent catalyst precursor to reduction conditions without first subjecting it to heat treatment under oxidation conditions which cause oxidation of the supported cobalt compound or decomposition of the cobalt compound, to activate the subsequent catalyst precursor, thereby to obtain a cobalt-containing hydrocarbon synthesis catalyst.