A catalytic partial oxidation process for the preparation of hydrogen and carbon monoxide from an organic feedstock, which process comprises contacting the organic feedstock and an oxygen-containing gas, in amounts giving an oxygen-to-carbon ratio of from 0.3 to 0.8, with a catalyst at a gas hourly space velocity in the range of from 100,000 to 10,000,000 Nl/kg/h, in which process the organic feedstock used is a feedstock containing hydrocarbons and/or oxygenates, which feedstock is liquid under conditions of standard temperature and pressure and has an average carbon number of at least 6.