February 9, 2012:
China, India, and Japan have agreed to have their warships off the Somali coast coordinate operations to more efficiently protect civilian ships in the area. Chinese and Indian warships have been operating independently off Somalia, while Japanese ships have been operating with Task Force 151. Most warships on anti-piracy duty belong to TF 151. Most of the remainder belong to the EUNFS (European Union Naval Force Somalia). But some nations continue to operate independently, more or less. There is always some communication, coordination, and sharing of information with TF 151 and EUNFS.
The anti-piracy patrol off Somalia consists of several dozen warships and recon aircraft that patrol the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean areas searching for pirates and, in general, protecting merchant shipping from pirate attack. But all these ships and aircraft have never been under a single command and coordination is often sporadic.
The Chinese, Indians, and Japanese have not formed a new task force but have simply increased coordination among their warships to provide more efficient escorts for convoys of merchant ships operating in the area.